SUNY students, faculty can apply for grant funding for PPE, other virus-related projects

MARCY, N.Y. — Teams of students and faculty across SUNY campuses producing personal protective equipment (PPE) and other COVID-19-related products can now apply for grant funding from the SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship Program.

The PPE and other products are the result of student applied learning and research experience, SUNY announced Monday.

The program will provide up to $10,000 for students and faculty working with technology to “improve the design and accelerate” the production of PPE. The program is designed to provide “real life, hands-on applied learning experiences” for students, which involves them in the creation of pandemic-related products.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras in late August initially announced the program with $100,000 in seed funding. On Monday, he launched the effort during a visit to SUNY Polytechnic Institute in Marcy with the school’s interim president Grace Wang, SUNY said.

“SUNY students and faculty have been among New York’s leaders in the production of lifesaving PPE and other technologies — keeping essential frontline workers protected through this pandemic,” Malatras said. “Now that we are in the fall and seeing what is happening across the nation and in certain hot spots across New York with a higher number of COVID cases, PPE and other innovations to combat COVID-19 continue to be in high demand. These innovations will help not only with combating COVID, but other future infectious diseases. We are proud to open up applications today for the SUNY Prepare Innovation and Internship Program, which provides a financial boost to students and faculty who are teaming up to use cutting-edge technology to improve and produce PPE and other technologies. These innovations will help save lives.”

SUNY teams of faculty and staff may submit proposals. Submissions are due to SUNY’s provost office by Nov. 15 through an online form, with the first grants being awarded on Dec. 15.

The resulting projects will focus on exploring and creating products, including but not limited to: novel and alternative PPE; creative devices, technologies, or designs to reduce the use of high-touch areas; environmentally sustainable sanitization; and arts, messages, and technologies for effective implementation of social distancing, mask wearing, and hand sanitizing.

SUNY also encourages non-technological products for behavioral interventions and deployable strategies for raising awareness of public-health protective measures.