Capital Region institutions get more funding for COVID-related research

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in more health-related funding flowing into the Capital Region.

COVID-related research pushed the National Institutes of Health funding to Capital Region institutions to its third-greatest total in the past decade, according to new NIH data.

In the 2021 fiscal year, 16 local firms and institutions received $73.6 million from 152 NIH awards, including more than $3.2 million for coronavirus-related research and development at GE Research and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

At $12.2 million from 26 awards, RPI received the most NIH funding in the region.

Using NIH funding, GE Research in Niskayuna is building a touchscreen sensor array to directly capture, detect and identify particles of the virus that causes COVID-19.

RPI researchers are studying the structures and functions of proteins that are targets for antiviral and antibiotic drug development.