RESEARCH 4 COVID-19" support for pandemic response

Today, March 24th, FCT, in collaboration with the Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB), opened an exceptional funding line, RESEARCH 4 COVID-19". This initiative aims to support research and development (R&D) projects and initiatives already underway or to be developed that meet the needs of the National Health Service (SNS).

Considering the dynamic and rapid evolution of the situation and the context of uncertainty in which we live, this support will have two periods for submitting proposals:

- The first application deadline will be 5pm (Lisbon time) on April 5, 2020;

- The second period will take account of developments in the situation and will not be announced until the end of the first period.

The funding for each project will be up to 30,000 euros, in addition to the own resources associated with the reorientation of R&D teams and activities underway in the R&D units supported by FCT. At this stage, the FCT will provide a budget of 1.5 million euros for this program, to be financed by national funds through the FCT budget.

R&D projects and initiatives can consider new prevention tools, therapeutic development, diagnostic methods, clinical and epidemiological studies, as well as R&D activities that include a socio-cultural component and actions to promote a resilient society with the capacity to face the current context of uncertainty in which we live, especially among the older population and groups at greater risk.

This support is aimed at R&D units of higher education institutions and their institutes, state laboratories and other public research institutions, scientific societies or non-profit scientific associations, public or private non-profit institutions, which may submit proposals individually or in partnership, with the participation of health care services and entities being mandatory. Business entities can participate as long as they are in partnership with research institutions.

The R&D proposals will be evaluated by a committee made up of experts appointed by the FCT and the AICIB. The results of the evaluation of the proposals for the first period will be announced by April 20th.

More information on the RESEARCH 4 COVID-19 page