The Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a public-private partnership between the European Commission and the pharmaceutical industry, has today launched a fast-track call for research proposals to develop treatments and diagnostics in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Up to €45 million of the funding will come from Horizon 2020, the EU research and innovation programme, and a commitment of a similar scale is expected from the pharmaceutical industry so that the total investment could reach up to €90 million. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “I welcome the rapid response of IMI to the Coronavirus outbreak. This collaboration between the public and the private sectors brings their expertise and resources together in our fight against the Coronavirus outbreak. This will help speed up the development of treatments and diagnostics in face of this global emergency and increase our preparedness for future outbreaks.”
This call is part of the coordinated EU response to the public health threat of COVID-19 and complements the emergency research funding already mobilised recently under Horizon 2020.
By: N. Peter Kramer
