Studying and working with SPARC’s other clinical, commercial and academic institutions will enrich student experiential learning and open up extensive new career opportunities.
This fall, New York City and State leadership announced a unique partnership with CUNY to launch a first-of-its kind innovation hub which will transform the Brookdale Campus on East 25th Street into new, state-of-the-art teaching and commercial spaces. The Science Park and Research Campus (SPARC) Kips Bay will include new, modern facilities for CUNY SPH and other CUNY health sciences schools and programs, along with an array of medical and commercial health sciences enterprises.
The project 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. It will include 100,000 square feet of CUNY SPH laboratories, research centers, library, study areas, and vastly increased classroom space to dramatically enhance research and education for students and faculty. This expansion will allow CUNY SPH to launch an undergraduate public health degree program, creating new opportunities for CUNY students and forging a broader and more robust pipeline into the public health professions.
At a press event in October, 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 New 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.”
Studying and working side by side with SPARC’s other clinical, commercial and academic institutions will enrich student experiential learning and open up extensive new career opportunities. The hub will 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.
