European Commission approves €5.3million COVID-19 research & development fund

In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Malta Council for Science and Technology is launching a COVID-19 R&D Fund to provide innovative and/or improved approaches with regards to the current and/or other antiviral relevant research, control and contain the spread.

Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services and Digital Economy Clayton Bartolo welcomed the European Commission’s approval for Malta to establish a fund dedicated to research.

"I would like to thank the European Commission and President Ursula Von der Leyen for all the hard work towards our beloved country. Late last night, Malta obtained the approval for a €5.3 million fund dedicated to research related to COVID-19. This ”, he said.

Apart from targeting innovative solutions to the current COVID-19 situation (as this is now fast-paced and a time-sensitive challenge), the scheme also aims to draw on lessons learnt from COVID-19 and develop foresight tools and methodologies for the future.

Projects could address:

• relevant medicinal products (including vaccines) and treatments, their intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients and raw materials; medical devices, hospital and medical equipment (including ventilators and protective clothing and equipment as well as diagnostic tools) and necessary raw materials; disinfectants and their intermediary products and raw chemical materials necessary for their production;
• data collection and processing tools related to innovative and/or improved approaches with regards to current and/or future infectious disease prevention;
• trajectory of the epidemic/pandemic disease;
• applications aimed at better dissemination of recommendations by national (Public Health) and/or international health authorities (WHO);
• any other antiviral relevant research that can lead to human epidemy.

The proposal should be novel and not correspond with ongoing or completed projects funded by other instruments, programmes or projects.

Projects that have received a COVID-19-specific Seal of Excellence quality label under the Horizon 2020 SME-instrument would also be eligible to apply under this fund.

Proposals must be timely, with rapid activation, to enable early and valuable outcomes to be established. Successful proposals will see Maltese entities entering into a Grant Agreement with MCST and Malta Enterprise. All aid must be awarded by ‪31 December 2020.

Further information will be available on the National Rules which may be downloaded from MCSTs and MEs website. Entities are encouraged to contact the Malta Council for Science and Technology for further information.