EU mobilises €10 million for Coronavirus outbreak research

The European Commission announced on Friday it will grant €10 million for research into Coronavirus, from its research and innovation programme, Horizon 2020, amid intensification of the disease’s outbreak.
EU’s top executive body has launched an emergency request for expressions of interest for research projects and is expected to support two to four research projects that will be funded by Horizon 2020 for the “Mobilisation of research funds in case of public health emergencies”.
Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “We need to see a multifaceted, whole-of-government response to the Coronavirus and research is an essential part of this,” adding that “we need to know more about the virus to better target our prevention measures and to ensure better care for our citizens – this is precisely the aim of the Horizon 2020 emergency research funding announced today”.
The announcement came after the World Health Organisation declared on Thursday an international health emergency over the outbreak of the coronavirus, as cases of human-to-human transmission of the virus have been recorded outside China.
The new research projects are expected to assist the EU in understanding the coronavirus epidemic, to contribute to more efficient clinical management of patients infected with the virus, as well as public 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,” Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Commissioner Mariya Gabriel commented.