Rome Lab, Griffiss Institute receive federal funding for tech projects

ROME, N.Y. — The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and the Griffiss Institute in Rome have both received millions in federal funding for high-tech projects, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) announced.

The AFRL has received $4.2 million for construction of high-frequency antennas for the Newport and Stockbridge Test Annexes. The towers will provide resilient and modernized high- and low-frequency infrastructure for Air Force use and provide AFRL the capability to advanced warfighting-communication technologies. It also allows the U.S. Air Force to satisfy requirements set forth in the 2018 National Defense Strategy, ensuring AFRL has the most up-to-date facilities.

The Griffiss Institute received $3 million for its Smart-X Internet of Things (IoT) Living Lab, an open and collaborative environment where vendors and developers can integrate, test, experiment, and demonstrate their smart-technology capabilities. The environment will connect Griffiss Business and Technology Park, Innovare, the NY UAS Test Site and SkyDome resources with Rome’s Air City and Woodhaven Riverwalk, enabling the state’s first smart, autonomous-friendly village.

“These projects are unique and impactful on their own,” Griffiss Institute President and CEO Heather Hage said in a statement. “Their interdependencies and abilities to collectively advance our region’s diverse innovation economy will elevate upstate New York’s position as a national leader for bringing dual-use defense technologies to the American economy.”