{"id":111961,"date":"2020-04-02T11:57:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-02T09:57:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=111961"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:52","slug":"tens-of-millions-of-euros-allocated-to-coronavirus-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/04\/02\/tens-of-millions-of-euros-allocated-to-coronavirus-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Tens of millions of euros allocated to coronavirus research"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Netherlands has allocated several tens of millions of euros to urgent coronavirus research. On top of that, universities are establishing their own crowd-funding platforms.<\/p>\n

\"\"

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRob van Esch<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Not much is known about the new coronavirus. The number of infections is still rising, but medications or vaccines are non-existent. While we wait for them to be developed, many people\u2019s lives are being thrown into turmoil.<\/p>\n

For this reason, Hugo de Jonge, the Minister for Health, wrote<\/a> that the Ministry of Health and ZonMW, an organisation that funds medical research, will jointly make \u20ac20 million available for research on urgent coronavirus-related questions. Such as: how are children infected? Are there any existing vaccines that might be able to be used?<\/p>\n

Questions to be answered<\/h2>

For their part, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and research funder NWO are also allocating funds to researchers. Together they have earmarked \u20ac15 million for research purposes, first to allow scientists to conduct urgent research on how to stop the pandemic, and secondly, to answer certain sociological questions. How have the Dutch people adapted their behaviour to the new virus? And what impact does social isolation have on people?<\/p>\n

Organisations that conduct applied research (TO2) are also contributing to the scientific effort. TNO will allocate up to \u20ac2 million to solve coronavirus-related problems, Wageningen Research is performing coronavirus testing, while Deltares is examining if and how soil and water contribute to the survival and spread of the virus.<\/p>\n

Not fast enough<\/h2>

However, certain researchers cannot wait for their government funding to arrive. For instance, the Leiden Academic Medical Centre (LUMC) is already working very hard on potential virus inhibitors, medications and vaccines. The tests performed at the Centre are very expensive, and LUMC doesn\u2019t have any designated funds that can be allocated to said tests.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re witnessing an outbreak of a deadly virus,\u201d says Professor of Molecular Virology Eric Snijder, \u201cBut I\u2019m spending many hours a day writing grant applications.\u201d<\/p>\n

This being the case, Leiden University has established a\u00a0crowd-funding platform<\/a>\u00a0that will hopefully help it quickly to obtain \u20ac2 million for its coronavirus research.<\/p>\n

#wakeuptocorona<\/h2>

In order to keep the pressure on, the university came up with a social media challenge. Donors are asked to share a picture of themselves in which they wear their pyjamas and create a heart shape with their hands. They are also asked to use the hashtag #wakeuptocorona.<\/p>\n

Leiden University Rector Carel Stolker\u00a0expressed his support<\/a>\u00a0for the project in a video shot at his own home, in which he called on people to donate. \u201cIt\u2019s incredibly important, but I don\u2019t need to tell you that.\u201d So far LUMC has raised nearly \u20ac160,000.<\/p>\n

Antibodies<\/h2>

Erasmus MC, too, has established a\u00a0crowd-funding platform<\/a>. The funds raised through this platform will be used towards projects such as research on antibodies in blood plasma. People who have recovered from the coronavirus often have antibodies left in their blood. Such antibodies may be able to be used in medications administered to patients who have been hospitalised for coronavirus-related symptoms.<\/p>\n

The Erasmus MC Foundation, the academic medical centre\u2019s support fund, which mainly raises money for scientific research, hopes to raise \u20ac250,000 for coronavirus research. So far it has raised over \u20ac63,000.<\/p>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Lees meer<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t