Delaware

Wilmington, DE - The merger of DuPont and Dow into a single company and their separation into three new corporations has created a major economic impact in Delaware with the layoff of 1,700 highly skilled positions in the Wilmington area. After losing a significant amount of jobs over the years to plant closures and layoffs, the State needed ways to address and improve economic growth and opportunities in the region. As part of the process, DuPont, the State of Delaware and other partners collaborated to address the urgent need to retain the scientific workforce and provide new entrepreneurial opportunities as large corporations contract and reduce their workforces.

In September 2017, EDA invested $3,000,000 in Public Works funds to support the renovation and retrofitting of a 135,000 square foot office space in an existing building on the campus of the DuPont Experimental Station to create a science incubator and multi-tenant collaboration space. The updated space will serve as the new home of the Delaware Innovation Space, Inc. (DISI) – a technology and science incubator that will house up to 40 early stage conceptual companies. The investment will improve the physical infrastructure to meet the needs of increased private investment in potential companies.

The DISI facility will house entrepreneurs and growing science firms that will create jobs and leverage intellectual property, much of it transferred to workers displaced by the merger. This investment is anticipated to create approximately 657 new jobs and generate $80,000,000 in private investment.