IMI grants 117 million euros for coronavirus research projects

The European Commission says that eight large-scale research projects, aimed at developing treatments and diagnostics for the coronavirus, were selected in a fast-track call for proposals,  launched in March by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), a public-private partnership.

In order to fund a larger number of high-quality proposals, the Commission increased its commitment to 72 million euros ($78 million), up from the originally planned 45 million euros, from Horizon 2020. the EU's research and innovation program. 45 million euros will be provided by the pharmaceutical industry, IMI associated partners and other organizations involved with the projects, bringing the total investment to 117 million euros.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: “We need to bring together the expertise and resources of the public and the private sector in order to defeat this pandemic and prepare for any future outbreaks. With this funding from Horizon 2020 and our industry and other partners, we are speeding up the development of coronavirus diagnostics and treatments, essential tools that we need to tackle the global emergency.”