EC calls on startups to submit innovative solutions to tackle Coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission calls on startups to submit innovative solutions to tackle the Coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission is calling for startups and SMEs with technologies and innovations that could help in treating, testing, monitoring or other aspects of the Coronavirus outbreak to apply urgently to the next round of funding from the European Innovation Council.

The deadline for applications to the EIC Accelerator is 17:00 on Wednesday 18 March (Brussels local time). With a budget of €164m, this call is “bottom-up”, meaning there are no predefined thematic priorities and applicants with Coronavirus relevant innovations will be evaluated in the same way as other applicants.

Nevertheless, the Commission will look to fast track the awarding of EIC grants and blended finance (combining grant and equity investment) to Coronavirus relevant innovations, as well as to facilitate access to other funding and investment sources.

The EIC is already supporting a number of startups and SMEs with Coronavirus relevant innovations awarded funding in previous rounds. This includes the EpiShuttle project for specialised isolation units, the m-TAP project for filtration technology to remove viral material, and the MBENT project to track human mobility during epidemics.

The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic is an ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

The outbreak was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei, China, in December 2019 and recognised as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 11 March 2020.

As of 16 March, more than 183,000 cases of the disease have been reported in over 160 countries and territories, resulting in more than 7,100 deaths and around 79,000 recoveries. Regions affected by major outbreaks include mainland China, Europe, Iran, South Korea, and the United States. On 13 March, the WHO stated that Europe had become the new epicentre of the pandemic.

Kenya reported its first case of the pandemic on 13th March and the Government has since put in place measures to contain the disease.

Strategies for preventing transmission of the disease include overall good personal hygiene, hand washing. Here are more tips on how you can stay safe at the workplace. Social distancing measures are also recommended to prevent transmission.

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