Numerous innovative research ideas for NRP "Covid-19"

Researchers are continuing to work at full speed to find solutions to the Covid-19 pandemic. The National Research Programme "Covid-19" (NRP 78) of the SNSF has attracted a lot of interest: 190 research proposals were submitted in the space of three weeks.

Biomedical proposals:

• Biology, pathogenicity und immunogenicity of SARS-CoV-2: 42
• Clinical research: 42
• Epidemiology and prevention of Covid-19: 28
• Improving diagnostics: 19
• Vaccine development: 13
• Drug development: 11

Proposals in mathematics, natural and engineering sciences:

• Engineering sciences: 10
• Mathematics and applied physics: 9

Proposals in the humanities and social sciences:

• Various health topics relating to Covid-19: 6
• Focus on psychology: 3
• Various aspects of pandemic management: 7

The researchers were able to request up to two million francs. 20 million francs are available for the NRP in total. The applications will now be rated by international experts based on their scientific quality, the applicants' track record and the projects' feasibility. In addition, the goals of the individual projects will be assessed to ensure that they fall within the research areas prioritised in the individual modules.

The SNSF plans to inform researchers about the outcome of the evaluation by the beginning of August 2020. The projects should be able to start as soon as possible. Results of the two-year programme will be made available as open access publications and on data platforms as quickly as possible for the benefit of medical and health policy bodies and the research community as a whole.