Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel and New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky today announced the City has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Applied Sciences NYC, the City's initiative to build or expand a state-of-the-art engineering and applied sciences campus in New York City.

The RFP is the next step in the initiative - unveiled in December 2010 - that seeks a university, institution or consortium to develop and operate a new or expanded campus in the City in exchange for access to City-owned land - at the Navy Hospital Campus at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Goldwater Hospital Campus on Roosevelt Island, or on Governors Island - and the full support and partnership of the Bloomberg Administration.

The City is also prepared to make a significant investment in site infrastructure, offering up to $100 million in a competitive process designed to select the proposal that yields the most benefit to the City for the lowest commitment of City resources.

Applied Sciences NYC will be a critical driver of the further diversification of New York City's economy, generating billions of dollars in economic activity, spinning off hundreds of new companies, and creating nearly 30,000 jobs, according to an economic impact analysis.

Responses to the RFP will be due in the fall and a winner will be selected by the end of 2011.

The opening of the first phase of the project is anticipated for 2015.

Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement today in a keynote address at the Crain's New York Business 2011 Future of New York City conference in Manhattan.

"During the 1980s and 90s, Silicon Valley - not New York - became the world capital of technology start-ups, and that is still true today. But if I am right - and if we succeed in this mission - it won't be true forever. The Applied Sciences NYC initiative will serve as a major catalyst for New York City's local economy for decades, generating billions of dollars in economic activity through the creation of hundreds of new businesses and tens of thousands jobs for New Yorkers."

"As we move into the 21st century, our success as a city and a region will be measured above all by our ability to attract and retain the talented men and women who can transform cutting edge ideas into the real world products and firms of tomorrow," said Senator Charles E. Schumer. "Adding a world class engineering and applied sciences school will only strengthen the city's position as a leader in high-tech, and a premier destination for the talented and ambitious young people looking to make their mark in the new global economy."

"The importance of this project to New York City's future economic strength cannot be overstated," said New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President Pinsky. 'This is an 'Erie Canal moment' for our City - an opportunity to change the City's economic trajectory for years to come."

The economic impact analysis completed by NYCEDC projects that New York City's economy will dramatically benefit from a new or expanded engineering and applied sciences campus located in the City. Over the next 35 years, it will generate an estimated $6 billion in overall economic activity across the five boroughs, with hundreds of new companies spinning out of the school directly.

In addition to the City-owned development sites presented in the RFP, respondents are permitted to consider and propose privately-owned sites in the City where an applied sciences facility could be developed or expanded.

The Applied Sciences NYC initiative was launched at the end of 2010, with the issuance by NYCEDC of a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) that received 18 responses from 27 top-tier institutions around the world.

The proposals indicated primary interest in the Brooklyn Navy Yard site, the Roosevelt Island site, and the site on Governors Island, as well as a number of privately-owned sites.