New York, NY — New York City and State leadership have partnered with the City University of New York (CUNY) to launch the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay, a first-of-its kind innovation hub that will include new, modern facilities for over 4,500 students from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), the Hunter College School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences and the Borough of Manhattan Community College’s multiple health care programs.
Credit: NYC EDC
New York, NY — New York City and State leadership have partnered with the City University of New York (CUNY) to launch the Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay, a first-of-its kind innovation hub that will include new, modern facilities for over 4,500 students from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH), the Hunter College School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences and the Borough of Manhattan Community College’s multiple health care programs.
The project will transform the Brookdale Campus on East 25th Street into new, state-of-the-art teaching and commercial facilities. The space will include additional lab and research space for CUNY SPH and house the school’s own library and study centers. The new campus will also include additional classrooms for the school’s planned undergraduate program in public health.
The project will generate approximately $25 billion in economic impact to the city over the next 30 years, create 10,000 jobs and create a pipeline from local public schools to careers in the growing and essential fields of life sciences, health care, and public health.
At a press event on Thursday, Governor Kathy Hochul, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez unveiled the plans for the new campus.
“Coming off the heels of the pandemic we see more than ever that investment is needed in public health, education, and life sciences,” Governor Hochul said. “And our success moving forward will be about how we prepare future generations and connect our young people to jobs in these fields equitably. We believe this project will achieve these goals while diversifying our economy in supporting its resiliency long-term.”
“COVID-19 proved how important New York’s public hospitals, research institutions and universities are to the survival and the well-being of our beloved city,” said Chancellor Matos Rodríguez. “So it is fitting that the mayor and the governor have teamed up with CUNY to transform this Brookdale Campus into a public health and education hub to better meet the needs of our students faculty and of all Yew Yorkers. CUNY is proud to be a part of this partnership, which will help New York recover from the pandemic equitably.”
“This is a vital opportunity for CUNY SPH to achieve its full potential and enhance its work to prepare the public health leaders of tomorrow,” said CUNY SPH Dean Ayman El-Mohandes. “The revitalized new campus will allow us to deepen our presence in New York City while maintaining our commitment to Harlem and the partnerships we have worked hard to cultivate in the community. With new expanded facilities and resources, we will be even better equipped to promote and sustain healthier populations in Harlem, New York City and around the world.”
SPARC Kips Bay will transform an entire city block with over 1.5 million square feet of academic, public health, and life sciences space and rebuild a new accessible pedestrian bridge on East 25th Street connecting to the East River and Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.
The hub will also feature a NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue ambulatory care center, a simulation training center that will allow CUNY students and others to simulate patient scenarios, a New York City Department of Education high school providing hands-on learning in health care and sciences to prepare students for careers in these growing sectors, a new Office of Chief Medical Examiner Forensic Pathology Center, which will be a nation-leading training facility for forensic pathologists, and a new commercial office and wet lab development for the life sciences industry.
SPARC Kips Bay will be funded jointly by the city and state with additional investment from the private sector in life sciences. The project is expected to break ground in 2026 and be completed by the end of 2031.
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About CUNY SPH
The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (CUNY SPH) is committed to promoting and sustaining healthier populations in New York City and around the world through excellence in education, research and service in public health and by advocating for sound policy and practice to advance social justice and improve health outcomes for all. sph.cuny.edu