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COVID-19 research funding opportunities

Information about funding calls for COVID-19-related research from external and internal sources.

List of funding opportunities - newest first

PLEASE NOTE THAT CALLS WITH OPEN DEADLINES ARE LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

NIH: Office of the Director, US: Emergency awards - rapid acceleration of diagnostics-radical predicting viral-associated inflammatory disease severity in children with laboratory diagnostics & artificial intelligence (R61/R33 clinical trial optional) - call deadline 30th September 2020

Details: A total of eight institutes and offices of the National Institutes of Health invite applications for its emergency awards on rapid acceleration of diagnostics-radical predicting viral-associated inflammatory disease severity in children with laboratory diagnostics and artificial intelligence (R61/R33 clinical trial optional) funding opportunity.

Value: The total budget is USD 5 million in fiscal year 2021 to fund five to six awards.

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European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, EUR: COVID-19 research grant - call deadline 15 October 2020

Details: The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology invites applications for its COVID-19 research grant.

Value: Two types of grants are available: one up to €75,000 and the other worth up to €200,000

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NIH: National Centre for Advancing Translational Sciences, US: Notice of special interest - emergency competitive revisions & administrative supplements to clinical & translational science award programme to address 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) public health needs - call deadline 10 November 2020

Details:  The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences invites applications for its emergency competitive revisions and administrative supplements to clinical and translational science award programme awards to address 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) public health needs funding opportunity. This supports projects in translational science that address the COVID-19 public health emergency. Funding will be awarded to current clinical and translational science UL1 and U24 award holders.

US and foreign for-profit and non-profit organisations and public and private organisations may apply. PIs must hold an active grant or cooperative agreement.

The project period is generally limited to one year. Project periods up to two years will be considered only with strong justification. Application budgets may exceed the amount of the current parent award with strong justification and must reflect the actual needs of the proposed project.

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DHSC:  Travel and subsistence funding to support LMIC engagement during the COVID-19 outbreak – call deadline 31 December 2020

Details:  The Department of Health and Social Care, under the Global Health Research programme, invites applications for its call on travel and subsistence funding to support LMIC engagement during the COVID-19 outbreak. This provides travel and subsistence funding to appropriately qualified public health professionals, clinicians and academics who wish to offer science and technical advice to support the immediate response to COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries.

Value:  Not specified

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NIH:  Notice of special interest –  Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the causative virus SARS-CoV-2 – call deadline 5 February 2021

Details:  The National Institute of General Medical Sciences invites applications for research on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and the causative virus (SARS-CoV-2). This supports research aimed at better understanding SARS-CoV-2, improving the predictive quality of existing models of spread, diagnostics for measurement of transmission, susceptibility and recovery and development of therapeutic interventions.

Value:  Not specified

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NIH: National Institute of Neurological disorders & stroke, US: Supplements for research on biological effects of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus on the nervous system - call deadline 30 April 2021

Details:  The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke invites applications for its supplements for research on biological effects of the 2019 novel coronavirus on the nervous system.

Value:  Grants are worth up to USD 200,000 each for up to one year.

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Calls with open deadlines

Medical Research Scotland:  Covid-19 Research Grant Open Call - open deadline

Details:  Projects must have a clear route toward an impact in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic including, but not restricted to, the development of approaches to diagnosis, testing and treatment; the creation of resources for medical use in hospitals, care homes or by the public; social science studies that will be useful for professional practice, standards or policy. If creating a new device there must be scope to meet regulatory standards.

There is no closing date.  Applications will be reviewed as they arrive and applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application as quickly as possible.

Value:  Grants will not exceed £20,000; about ten projects will be funded at this level and potentially more if smaller requests are made.

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NERC: Urgency grants related to the current Coronavirus outbreak – no deadline specified

Details: NERC welcome Urgency proposals related to the current Coronavirus outbreak. Research must fall predominantly within the NERC remit.

Value: £65,000

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UKRI: Open call for research and innovation ideas to address COVID-19 – no deadline specified

Details:  Proposals are invited for short term projects addressing and mitigating the health, social, economic and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak. Projects will meet one of the following:

  1. New research or innovation with a clear impact pathway that has the potential (within the period of the award) to deliver a significant contribution to the understanding of, and response to, the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts.
  2. Supports the manufacture and/or wide scale adoption of an intervention with significant potential.
  3. Gathers critical data and resources quickly for future research use.

Projects which deliver a direct public health impact within the next 12 months should apply via the NIHR single portal.

UKRI has also put in place a process by which existing grantholders may repurpose their grants towards COVID-19 research priorities, also based on the above 3 criteria (500-word document and institutional letter of support).

Notes:  As this is a rolling deadline and applications will need to be turned around swiftly, there will not be a demand management process for this call. However, we are asking UoE Schools to please check on fit to call, and ensure quality control of applications and inform College of applications going in, so they have an overview of bids and can guard against overlap.

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PRACE Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe: Support to mitigate impact of COVID-19 pandemic – call open until further notice

Details:  PRACE is welcoming project proposals requesting computing resources to contribute to the mitigation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Applications evaluated within one week.

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COVID-19 Scientific research: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, EUR - no deadline specified

Details: European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) invites applications for covid-19 scientific research. This supports urgent research projects on covid-19 by enabling researchers to access ESRF facilities. The following structural biology resources are available:

  1. Access to the ESRF’s CM01 facility for cryo-electron microscopy;
  2. Access to cryo-electron microscopy, including the possibility of a solution to structure service;
  3. Access to the ESRF beamlines for macromolecular crystallography;
  4. Access to the platforms for the Grenoble partnership for structural biology, including high throughput crystallisation and fragment screening, biophysical characterisation and electron microscopy.

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Public Health Agency, GB: COVID-19 Funding Call - No Deadline

Details: The Public Health Agency, through the Health and Social Care Research and Development Division, invites proposals for its COVID-19 funding call. This supports research studies addressing the current COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland. Outputs must directly inform clinical, social or public health and wellbeing practice, treatment or are relevant to the current pandemic.

Support is provided for the following:

  1. Applications that are being submitted through another funding process, such as the UK prioritisation process, Health Research Board, Science Foundation Ireland and UK Research and Innovation funding calls, where co-funding is requested for specific elements of the study;
  2. Direct applications for studies led from Northern Ireland, which will be subject to overlap checks with the UK prioritisation process and other sources of recently funded research studies;
  3. Applications for small grants under £5,000 for distinct pieces of work, such as qualitative, non-interventional short projects, also subject to overlap checks.

Retrospective applications may be made where an application has already been progressed through another route, for example, to include a cross-border element of a study in Ireland.

Value: Grants are typically worth up to £200,000 and projects must start within three months and in most cases be completed within 18 months. Studies requiring HSC R&D support above a value of £200,000 should apply through the UK priority process.

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Medical Research Scotland, GB: COVID-19 Research Grant - No Deadline

Details: Medical Research Scotland invites applications for its Covid-19 research grant. This facilitates research into any health-related aspect of the pandemic. Projects must have a clear route toward an impact in relation to the pandemic, including:

  1. Development of approaches to diagnosis, testing and treatment;
  2. Creation of resources for medical use in hospitals, care homes or by the public;
  3. Social science studies that will be useful for professional practice, standards or policy.

Grants may be used for new research projects, pilot studies or to supplement existing research programmes, whether funded by other grants or not.

The administering institution should be a Scottish university or other Scottish research institution. Research may be conducted outside of the UK.

Value: Approximately 10 grants worth up to £20,000 each are available, but more may be available if smaller requests are made. Those requesting larger amounts should contact MRS. Funding may be used for direct costs and consumables, but not salary.

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Innovations for Poverty Action, US: Peace & Recovery Programme - COVID-19 - No deadline

Details:  Innovations for Poverty Action, under its peace and recovery programme, invites applications for its COVID-19 response call. This supports time-sensitive research or additions to research projects that study or support the COVID-19 response. Projects are expected to:

  1. Produce information that can directly inform the humanitarian response to COVID-19;
  2. Produce generalisable knowledge that contributes academic literature on resilience, response, and recovery.

Researchers worldwide may apply, though the focus of the project must be LMICs. Researchers must be affiliated with an academic institution, and either hold a PhD or be currently pursuing a PhD in a relevant discipline. Practitioners and institutions that implement interventions should partner with academics. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged. Funding cannot be spent in high-income countries and strong priority is given to the UK Department for International Development priority countries.

Value: Grants are worth up to USD 50,000.

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UK Space Agency, BG: Space for UK on COVID-19 - Open Call - No Deadline

Details: The UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency invite tenders for their space for UK on COVID-19 call. The tenderer will facilitate the quick integration and deployment of concrete and sustainable solutions to help alleviate the stress on the UK healthcare ecosystem provoked by the COVID-19 outbreak, making use of the different advantages provided by space-based products and services. Proposals may involve satellite communications, satellite navigation, images from Earth observation satellites and technologies coming for the human space flight. The proposed activity shall include a deployment of the solution and, wherever possible, a pilot utilisation of the solution, to be performed within the UK health system.

Each organisation may only submit one proposal.

Value: Funding covers up to 80 per cent of the proposed activities for SMEs, universities and research institutes and up to 50 per cent for non-SMEs.

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British Heart Foundation, GB: NIHR - BHF Cardiovascular partnership Covid-19 research - no deadline

Details:   The British Heart Foundation and the National Institute for Health Research invites applications for their covid-19 research call. This seeks proposals from the cardiovascular research community for covid-19 flagship projects. Projects should address key questions such as:

  1. Nature and importance of cardiovascular complications in covid-19 infection, and how they could be prevented;
  2. Understanding why patients with heart and circulatory diseases are at greater risk of adverse outcomes; 
  3. Short and longer-term impact of the covid-19 pandemic for people with heart and circulatory diseases; 
  4. Mechanistic insights into individual responses to the covid-19 infection, its effect on the function of the heart and the circulatory system.

Cardiovascular researchers in the UK may apply.

 

Department of Health & Social Care inc NIHR, GB: Highlight notice - Covid-19 & Ethnicity - no deadline

Details: The National Institute for Health Research, in partnership with UK Research and Innovation, invites applications for its COVID-19 and ethnicity highlight notice. This supports research on the impact of COVID-19 on people from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. Proposals may focus on the impact on general population from BAME backgrounds or the impact specifically on people working in health and social care from BAME backgrounds. Research may include:

  1. Studies to improve understanding of genetic risk factors and how these manifest clinically, including in terms of immune responses, to COVID-19 infection;
  2. Secondary analysis of existing datasets to understand underpinning reasons for a disparity in outcomes for certain ethnic groups;
  3. Understanding and optimising behavioural responses to public health measures, including how to influence individuals and communities to make the behavioural or lifestyle changes necessary to reduce risk;
  4. Mental health and how communities are responding to the crisis.

Academic PIs must be hosted at a UK institution eligible for UKRI funding. Applications from SMEs, government arms length bodies and NHS organisations, and equivalent UK authorities are also encouraged. Applications from UK-based, non-SME commercial entities will be also considered. Researchers from overseas research organisations in affected countries providing important local engagement and context are welcomed as co-investigators.

Value: The size of grants will vary according to the needs of each research project, but will need to provide a robust case for value for money.

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NIH: National Institute of Allergy & Infectious Diseases, US: Emergency awards - rapid investigation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 & coronavirus disease 2019 (ROI clinical trial not allowed) - no deadline

Details: The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases invites applications for its emergency awards – rapid investigation of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019) (R01 clinical trial not allowed).

Value: Not specified

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Scottish health Innovations, GB: Supporting the NHS response to coronavirus - no deadline

Details: Scottish Health Innovations invites proposals for its supporting the NHS response to coronavirus call. This supports health and social care professionals across Scotland in developing innovative solutions in response to the coronavirus crisis. Proposals can address a medical device, a piece of technology, software or service offering or an idea to support diagnostics, home care, hygiene or mental health.

Value: £25,000

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Merck, DE - Pandemic preparedness and fighting emerging new viral infectious disease - no deadline

Details: Merck invites submissions for its pandemic preparedness and fighting emerging new viral infectious disease call. This supports projects that leverage modern technologies to create new breakthrough solutions to be more prepared for pandemic outbreaks or work towards existing solutions that could help to fight emerging viral infections.

Value: Grants are worth up to €500,000 per year for three years.

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Emergent Ventures, US: Fast funding for COVID-19 science - no deadline

Details: Emergent Ventures invites applications for its fast funding for COVID-19 science funding opportunity. This supports researchers working on a COVID-19 related project.

Value: Grants are worth between USD 10,000 and USD 500,000.

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Euro-Bioimaging ERIC, EUR: Fast track access to biological and biomedical imaging technologies for COVID-19 research projects - no deadline

Details: Euro-Bioimaging ERIC invites applications for its fast track access to biological and biomedical imaging technologies for COVID-19 research projects.

Value: Unknown

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Upcoming initiative from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – TBC

Details and deadline TBC

Survey of COVID-19 research activity in Edinburgh

Please add details of any COVID-19 related research you are engaged in, or are planning to start at the link below.

Edinburgh COVID-19 research survey

Links to further information

University of Edinburgh

COVID-19 funding opportunities on Research Professional

College of Science and Engineering COVID-19 funding opportunity sharepoint site

Edinburgh Research Office COVID-19 webpages

External links

UKRI Coronavirus Hub

Fast Grants for Covid-19 research

EMBL-EBI COVID-19 Data Portal

European Institute of Innovation and Technology Covid-19 research opportunities

Medical Research Council Covid-19 protein portal