To help tackle the threat of COVID-19 variants, the European Commission has provided €123m in funding for urgent research.
The funding aims to help prevent infections and mitigate spread, as well as responding to the impact of COVID-19 variants, in line with the new European bio-defence preparedness plan, the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) Incubator.
Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, said: “We continue to mobilise all means at our disposal to fight this pandemic and the challenges presented by coronavirus variants. We must use our combined strength to be prepared for the future, starting from the early detection of the variants to the organisation and coordination of clinical trials for new vaccines and treatments, while ensuring correct data collection and sharing at all stages.”
Researching variants
The European Commission has called for the development of treatments and vaccines through clinical trials in a bid to advance the development of therapeutics and vaccines against the virus.
These trials will support the development of large-scale COVID-19 cohorts and networks beyond Europe’s borders, forging links with European initiatives.
It will also help to reinforce the infrastructures needed to share data, expertise, research, resources, and expert services among researchers and research organisations, as well as develop promising therapeutic or vaccine candidates and support research infrastructures to speed up data sharing and deliver fast research support and expertise, to confront the coronavirus variants and to be ready for future epidemics.
The successful consortia will collaborate with other initiatives and projects at national, regional, and international levels to maximise synergies and avoid duplication of research efforts.
The efforts will contribute to building the HERA Incubator and the calls will open for submissions on 13 April and the deadline for submission is 6 May 2021.
