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In May 2002, the Ordway Research Institute, Inc. was formed to facilitate collaborations in basic biomedical and clinical research across disciplines and institutions. One of Ordway’s goals is to raise the medical research profile of New York’s Capital Region, and by doing so, to help spur important new developments in biotechnology and medical research.

Ordway’s scientific teams are supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, American Heart Association, and over 15 biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.

“The principle articulated here at Ordway is facilitation of inter-institutional research,” said Ordway Director Dr. Paul Davis. “Because of existing strengths in infectious diseases – and to some extent, cancer – it made sense to emphasize both those areas. These are natural magnets to bring investigators from several institutions together.” Ordway collaborations are supported by established memoranda of understanding with regional higher education, health care, and research institutions including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), the Trudeau Institute, Albany Medical College, and the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health.

The Charitable Leadership Foundation (CLF), based in Clifton Park, New York, played a lead role in incubating the Ordway Research Institute, Inc., providing a $12 million charitable commitment to recruit nationally recognized scientists and their research teams to Ordway and the Capital Region. CLF also spearheaded the construction of the $56 million Center for Medical Science (CMS) where Ordway Research Institute has been housed since July 2003.

The CMS is a 150,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art research facility located in Albany, New York. From the renowned architectural firm of Perkins & Will/Shaw, CMS has been designed in a manner to encourage and facilitate inter-institutional and inter-thematic collaborations. According to CLF CEO Richard C. Liebich, “The CMS has been carefully designed to capitalize on the scientific strengths already in place here in the Capital District, particularly through our two partnering organizations, the Wadsworth Center and Albany Medical College. We want the Capital District to be the place people think of when they think medical research.”

CMS is located within University Heights, an area of education and discovery including CMS, Albany Medical College, the David Axelrod Institute of Wadsworth Center, Albany College of Pharmacy, Albany Law School, and the Sage Colleges of Albany. In addition to the Ordway Research Institute, CMS contains laboratories of the Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health.

Paul J. Davis, M.D.
Director, Ordway Research Institute