The Brooklyn Navy Yard will be home to a $20 million center for sustainability-focused biotechnology, according to an announcement on Friday by Mayor Eric Adams.
“The way to create the jobs of the future is by supporting companies solving some of the most pressing challenges of our time, like climate change and carbon emissions,” Adams said in a statement.
Adams announced the new investment during a tour of Navy Yard, which is already home to several sustainable biotech start-ups, and announced the 50,000 square foot “incubator” space to be housed on the top floor of the urban manufacturing center at Building 303, and be open in 2025.
The announcement comes in partnership with the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC).
According to the mayor, the new space will serve as a one-stop-shop for companies looking to expand their scientific developments.
The mayor toured the space on March 2 and met with three life science businesses to highlight some of the work being done by these companies.
Developers from TomTex, creators of a degradable alternative to synthetic and animal leathers, Kintra Fibers, a company who works in climate conscious fibers, and Next Step Labs, a Black-owned company focused on the development of cosmetic and personal care products, explained their work to the city’s chief executive, painting a better picture of the kind of work the incubator will facilitate.
“These companies are not only making our city and planet more sustainable, they are providing career opportunities for working New Yorkers,” Adams said. “This is the future, and it’s happening right here in New York City.”
According to Lindsay Greene, president and CEO for the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the next few years will be about “building out” the hub to include labs with the essential tools, materials and machinery needed for innovation.
The space is expected to create more than 400 high-quality jobs and support the next generation of entrepreneurs.
“At the navy yard we’re really leaning into the green economy and different facets of that,” Greene told Brooklyn Paper. “It’s a gathering space that can host and grow dozens, hundreds of companies.”
Greene says the entrepreneurs will have big fields of focus, ranging from sustainable biotech in the fashion and food industry to creating systems that reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by buildings.
“The Navy Yard’s always been home for economic opportunity and innovation in the manufacturing space,” she said. “The next phase for us is really taking that energy, and taking the things we add as the Navy Yard, from a talent connection perspective, and really turning that to say ‘let’s actually use all of this energy and focus on growing the businesses and industries, solving the big climate change related problems.'”
The mayor originally shared the news of a global science center in his State of the City Address in January 2023.
The $20 million dollar investment comes as part of the city’s LifeSci NYC initiative, a project spearheaded by the NYCEDC.
“This game-changing industry will use the power of biology to create the sustainable materials, products, and industries of the future while accelerating New York’s transition to a green economy,” Andrew Kimball, president and CEO for NYCEDC said in a statement.
“There is no better location for this biotech innovation space than at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which is already home to innovation-driven life sciences companies and has proven to be a driving force in the biotech industry.”
