On Friday 31 January, the European Commission decided to urgently invest €10 million from the Horizon 2020 programme (Research and Innovation) to support research into the new Chinese coronavirus, after the World Health Organization declared the epidemic an ‘international health emergency’ on the previous day.
On Friday, the Commission therefore launched an urgent call for project proposals for research that will improve knowledge of this new virus, contribute to more effective clinical management of infected patients, and improve health preparedness and response.
“We are working to mitigate the consequences of a potential larger spread of the coronavirus outbreak in the EU. Thanks to emergency research funding from Horizon 2020, we will know more about the disease”, says Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel in a statement.
The €10 million is intended to support between two and four projects.
Applicants have until 12 February to respond, which is two weeks (as opposed to the normal three months), and grant agreements must also be signed very quickly. Grants will be subject to rapid data-sharing clauses to ensure that authorities can immediately apply the research results to their response.
This rapid funding is made possible by a provision in Horizon 2020 for the mobilisation of research funds in the event of a public health emergency. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)