The New York City Economic Development Corporation (“NYCEDC”) invites academic institutions, material innovators, industry, coalitions and others to submit responses for the development of a Materials Innovation Hub. The goal of the Materials Innovation Hub is to make New York City (“the City,” or “NYC”) the center of biomaterial innovation, research and development (“R&D”) for industry and commercialization. By creating an open access Materials Innovation Hub, the City will become the center of biomaterial products that transform industry through fostering corporate partnerships, creating new workforce opportunities, and advancing the City’s carbon-neutral goals. The Materials Innovation Hub will focus on the connection between key NYC legacy industries – including, but not limited to, medicine, packaging, construction, fashion – for which biomaterial products and applications will become increasingly prevalent. The Materials Innovation Hub should also provide space and resources for a diverse group of growth-stage life sciences companies, encourage collaboration across industries, and foster a sense of community between the Materials Innovation Hub and the life sciences and green economy ecosystems.

NYCEDC plans to select an operator on the basis of factors stated in the RFEI which include, but are not limited to: the quality of the respondent, the quality of the proposed R&D organization, and the quality of the proposed project.

It is the policy of NYCEDC to comply with all federal, state and City laws and regulations which prohibit unlawful discrimination because of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital status and other protected category and to take affirmative action in working with contracting parties to ensure certified Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises (MWBEs) share in the economic opportunities generated by NYCEDC’s projects and initiatives. Please refer to the Equal Employment and Affirmative Compliance for Construction Contracts Addendum in the RFEI.

This project has Minority and Women Owned Business Enterprise (“M/W/DBE”) participation goals, and all respondents will be required to submit a Contractor Statement on M/W/DBE Goals with their response. To learn more about NYCEDC’s M/W/DBE program, visit http://edc.nyc/opportunity-mwdbe. For the list of companies who have been certified with the New York City Department of Small Business Services as M/W/DBE, please visit: https://sbsconnect.nyc.gov/certification-directory-search/.

NYCEDC established the Contract Financing Loan Fund programs for Minority, Women and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (M/W/DBE) interested in working on public construction projects. Contract Financing Loan Fund facilitates financing for short-term mobilization needs such as insurance, labor, supplies and equipment. Bidders/subcontractors are strongly encouraged to visit the NYCEDC website at http://edc.nyc/opportunity-mwdbe to learn more about the program.

An optional informational session will be held virtually on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 12:00PM. Those who wish to attend should RSVP by email to materialsinnovationhub@edc.nyc on or before February 21, 2023. Instructions to access the informational session will be emailed to those who RSVP.

Potential respondents may submit questions and/or request clarifications from NYCEDC no later than 5pm on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Questions regarding the subject matter of this RFEI should be directed to materialsinnovationhub@edc.nyc. Answers to all questions will be posted by Thursday, March 9, 2023 to https://edc.nyc/rfps. Questions regarding the subject matter of this RFEI will not be accepted after 5pm on Thursday, March 2, 2023, however, technical questions pertaining to downloading and submitting proposals to this RFEI may be directed to RFPRequest@edc.nyc on or before Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Detailed submission guidelines and requirements are outlined in the RFEI. RESPONSES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Please click the link in the “Deadlines” section of this project’s web page to electronically upload a response for this solicitation.