19 projects to fight Covid-19, one year later
<p>The results were presented from the 19 research and innovation projects that received €4 million in funding from the Catalan Ministry of Health in April 2020. </p>
The 19 research projects to prevent and treat Covid-19 that received funding one year ago have presented their results. In an online event presided by acting Catalan Minister of Health Alba Vergés and Director General for Healthcare Research and Innovation (DGRIS) Robert Fabregat, which Biocat also participated in, the researchers announced their solutions.
In April 2020, the Catalan Ministry of Health, through the DGRIS, earmarked €4 million for 19 research and innovation projects to prevent and treat Covid-19, chosen from 42 proposals submitted. Biocat helped launch the call, and experts from the Catalan Ministry of Health and the Agency for Health Quality and Assessment of Catalonia (AQuAS) assessed the proposals.
After the results were presented, and with the perspective that comes one year later, Biocat Director of Innovation Núria Martí highlighted the quality of science in the BioRegion and called for more public-private partnership. “We believe in the potential of collaboration, but we have to exploit it more as a country. The projects have a lot of promise and we have to support them so they can move forward.”
In this regard, DGRIS Director Robert Fabregat noted the need to fund research and that, with financial support, remarkable milestones like these important clinical advances can be achieved. “We’re very aware of the need for more resources for research. The pandemic has shown that innovation in health is essential to Catalonia’s transformation.” Faced with this challenge, the Minister of Health made it clear that the Government “will continue its clear commitment to research.”
The 19 projects were led by research teams at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Vall d’Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO); AIDS Research Institute (IrsiCaixa), Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau), August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Institute for Health Science Research Germans Trias i Pujol (IGTP), Hospital del Mar Research Institute (IMIM), Foundation University Institute for Primary Health Care Research Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAP Jordi Gol), Pere Virgili Institute (IISPV) and Biomedical Research Institute of Lleida (IRBLleida)