33 million SEK to research into coronavirus and COVID-19

The call was open for two weeks, and closed on 2 June. As many as 255 applications were received, which were then assessed by around 30 international researchers with expertise in the area. Of these applications, 23 were awarded funding, resulting in an approval rate of 9 per cent. Just over 33 million SEK will be allocated to the projects during 2020.

“We are pleased to be enabling research that can be used quickly to increase the knowledge about, and to alleviate the effects of COVID-19. The large number of high-quality applications shows the importance of good basic virology research that can quickly be refocused when new viruses emerge,” says Sven Stafström, Director General of the Swedish Research Council.

Payment of the grants will start in August, and the research supported shall generate reliable and implementable results already during the grant period, that is to say no later than 31 December 2021.

30 million SEK comes from the investment in research into the coronavirus that the Government proposed in the Spring Amendment Budget for 2020. The Scientific Council for Medicine and Health at the Swedish Research Council has added a further 3 million SEK to the call.