Funding for Joint Research Projects “The Coronavirus Pandemic: Insight, Coping, and Prevention”

Great social challenges pose a multitude of scientific questions. The Coronavirus pandemic has confronted our society with major challenges and questions that go far beyond the healthcare sector and will not be solved in the short term. The Helmholtz Association, with its engagement in diverse research fields, is called upon to develop new synergetic approaches for understanding, coping with, and preventing pandemics and their numerous implications, which will make our society less vulnerable in the event of similar episodes in the future. The experience of the Coronavirus pandemic should also be used to gain insights from this exceptional situation that could help to optimize responses in the affected areas.

In order to address this complex topic area, the Helmholtz Association aims to fund up to three research consortia from the Initiative and Networking Fund as part of a pilot project for campaign-like pioneering projects. The call for applications is subject to the underlying funding concept for the Initiative and Networking Fund being approved by the Board of Trustees in late summer 2020.

Dates and deadlines

A tight schedule is to be followed in order to best exploit the exceptional underlying situation and achieve the greatest possible effect: