Government announces 26 new Covid-19 research and innovation projects

The projects will receive €5m funding under the newly-established national, coordinated research and innovation response to the pandemic.

The 26 projects cover a huge range of areas including:

• Creating a secure, reliable supply of high-quality reagents to enable large-scale testing
• Producing PPE for frontline health staff using state-of-the-art 3D printing equipment.
• Tracking the genetics of the Covid-19 virus in Ireland
• Online resources to support healthcare professionals who have answered Ireland’s call for Covid-19
• Why don’t we keep our distance? Evidence for more effective communication in the pandemic
• Getting a measure of silent infection: a key to Covid-19 recovery planning

“Research, development and innovation will play a significant role in tackling the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Business Minister Heather Humphreys.

“The projects announced today are part of a national drive to find solutions to the challenges we face.

“Right across the country, our research community in our higher education institutions and businesses, both indigenous and foreign owned, have mobilised to address these key issues.

“The projects announced today, which take in health and social care as well as policy and industry, will help to address how we can ease the restrictions over time and get the country back up-and-running again.”

The initiative is being overseen by overseen by a coordinated Rapid Response Research, Development and Innovation programme established by the Health Research Board (HRB), Irish Research Council (IRC), Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland.

Minister for Health Simon Harris added: “Research and development is critical to supporting Ireland’s National Action Plan in response to Covid-19 and in navigating a way forward for individuals, communities and society as a whole.

“In these extraordinary circumstances,I am delighted to see such collaboration and coordination in a collective battle against Covid-19.

“These projects have real potential to have an impact on the health and wellbeing of patients, families, healthcare workers and the healthcare system.

“In particular, having suitable treatments or vaccines is the best exit strategy from Covid-19 and the related restrictions we are living with so I am committed to ensuring a coordinated and proactive approach is taken to ensuring that Covid-19 patients across all settings in Ireland have access to new and emerging treatments as part of clinical trials.”

The research projects are part of a broader initiative to tackle the pandemic by unlocking the potential of Irish based researchers and innovators, and to complement similar work around the world.

All of the projects were internationally peer-reviewed at the assessment stage.

Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan said innovation would play an important role in tackling the virus.

“I want to acknowledge the ongoing support from the higher education institutions and researchers across the country that have undertaken a vast array of actions to support and deal with the challenges we face.

“Research, development and innovation will have a significant role to play in our response to Covid-19. Governments around the globe have also rapidly mobilised research in tackling the crisis, and the opportunities being provided to our research community will ensure a coordinated and meaningful contribution to solving some of the challenges we are presented with during the current crisis.

“It is through sustainable investment in research that we will beat Covid-19 and future pandemics, as well as generate the insight and understanding to support responsive social, economic and cultural policies.”