The Plenary of the Consell in Valencia has agreed the direct granting of urgent aid amounting to 1,237,527.67 euro destined to develop 16 research, technological development and innovation (R + D + i) projects to minimise the structural effects derived from the crisis caused by COVID-19.
This amount is added to a first package of projects that the Ministry of Finance and the Economic and Innovation Model, Universities, Science and Digital Society promoted to develop R & D & I projects aimed at mitigating or preventing negative structural effects derived from the pandemic, adding a total of 5.2 million invested in scientific research projects against the consequences of the coronavirus.
The global amount of these subsidies has been obtained by donations from citizens and these projects have been selected competitively from more than 100 expressions of interest.
Of the 16 research projects funded, four belong to the University of Alicante, which receives 264,786.84 euro; It is followed by the Polytechnic University of Valencia with three projects financed with 238,979.47 euro and the Miguel Hernández University of Elche, with two projects financed by an amount of 184,556 euro; the Universitat de València and the Universitat Jaume I de Castelló also receive grants to develop a project each, amounting to 39,420 euro and 91,000 euro, respectively.
For their part, other research centres in the Valencian Community have also received grants to develop research projects against COVID-19. This is the case of CSIC, with two projects, and the Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio), the Foundation for Research of the Hospital Clínico de la Comunitat Valenciana and the Foundation for Research of the Hospital Universitario la Fe de la Comunitat Valenciana, with one funded project each.
The funded projects will be used to achieve objectives such as the design and manufacture of antivirals, development of management software and monitoring of COVID patients, development of anti-inflammatory compounds, implementation of sensors for virus detection, gender analysis of the pandemic or technology-based rapid diagnostic systems, among others.
The subsidies will be used to cover, in a univocal way, the expenses related to the development and execution of the activities for which they have been granted, understanding concepts such as expenses of material, supply, equipment, training, personnel, travel or dissemination of the projects .
Financial projects
Projects developed by the UA:
– SARS-COV-2 inhibitory heterocyclic substances: synthesis-computational studies of the structure-activity relationship-in vitro tests
– Gender analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic. Health care Lessons learned and proposals in the health of the future
– Development (manufacture and characterization) of foamed materials with host phases for air purification by elimination of viruses and bacteria
– Development of an open data ecosystem to transform the tourism sector
Projects developed by the UPV:
– Implementation of a sensor for detection of viruses and other pathogens in aerosols
– VALENCIA IA4COVID- Platform to help decision-making to minimize the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
– Virtual and augmented reality and its application to the spatial memory of persistent COVID patients
Projects developed by the UMH:
– PERTE-COVID: preliminary studies and design of strategies to minimize structural damage in the Valencian health system for persistent COVID
– Exploratory study of the effects of the use of non-invasive neurostimulation in patients with persistent post-COVID anosmia.
Projects developed by the UV:
– CUIDA-TE, an APP for the emotional management of healthcare personnel
Projects developed by the UJI:
– Chronic COVID: evaluation of the prevalence of symptoms, socioeconomic impacts, risk factors and the efficacy of non-pharmacological interventions to alleviate its effects.
Projects developed by the CISC:
– Treatment of COVID-19 disease with semisynthetic derivatives of andrographolide.
– Rapid generation of broad spectrum vaccines based on the decoration of viral particles with multiple epitopes.
I2BYSBIO projects:
– Rapid and portable diagnostic system based on CRISPR technologies for multiplexed variant detection (CRIVAR).
Projects of the Foundation for Research of the Hospital Clínico de la Comunitat Valenciana:
– Effect of COVID-19 infection on telomere length and mitochondrial function parameters and their relationship with the evolution to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
Projects of the Foundation for Research of the Hospital Universitario la Fe:
– Analysis of the situation and impact of the consequences of the COVID-19 infection after the acute episode of illness in two health departments (post-COVID study)