Brooklyn Navy Yard with signs posted on exterior brick wall (© littleny / Shutterstock)
Brooklyn Navy Yard used to churn out ships. Now it's the launch point for high-tech startups. (© littleny / Shutterstock)

Europe’s largest business incubator will open its first U.S. site in New York City.

The initiative by Netherlands-based B. Amsterdam is designed to boost international expansion opportunities for startups on both sides of the ocean.

The new facility will be located in Brooklyn Navy Yard, an industrial park that’s home to more than 330 businesses.

The aim is to “take advantage of all the innovation and technology companies that are blossoming in both Amsterdam and in New York and try to get them to get closer together,” New York Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said.

“This is about the future. This is how the economy works now … to have these ties between cities,” said Amsterdam Deputy Mayor Kajsa Ollongren.