WWTF: COVID-19 Rapid Response Call

24 research projects from various scientific disciplines were selected and will be funded with up to € 50,000.

In times of the global corona crisis, science is highly active: It helps to develop diagnostic tests, therapies and vaccinations, to make prognoses about the future course of the pandemic, and how to deal with the societal consequences. In order to be able to react quickly to the challenges of the crisis and to collect research-relevant data in a timely manner, within one week WWTF launched the "COVID-19 Rapid Response Funding", endowed with funds from the private non-profit WWTF and two private sponsors, including the MEGA Bildungsstiftung.

Today's research is the key to tomorrow - more than ever in times of the Corona crisis, but with your support, the possibilities are endless. Your donation will pay off twice: every euro donated to the WWTF is tax-deductible in Austria and will be doubled by the City of Vienna. If you would like to support these research projects with your donation, you can do so via our donation page.

24 research projects from various scientific disciplines were selected from all submissions, which will be funded with up to € 50,000.

Projects map into six categories

Understand and fight the virus

  • Mutational dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 in Austria, CeMM
  • Characterization of the cellular immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection, CCRI
  • Computational modelling of Spike-Ace2 interactions to develop therapeutic proteins, BOKU
  • Molecular understanding of COVID-19 pathogenesis in human blood vessel organoids, IMBA

Expansion of test capacities

  • COVID-19 specific antibody tests to assess immunity in the population, Vetmeduni Vienna
  • Rapid repurposing of laboratory infrastructure for enhanced testing capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic, Max Perutz Labs
  • Development of sensitive and scalable screening assays for population-scale virus surveillance of COVID-19 infections, IMP

Epidemiology and public health

  • COVID-19: Number of undetected cases and immunity in the Viennese population - data from the Vienna health study LEAD, LBG
  • Synthesis Of Disease Spread And Network Reduction Data For Covid-19 Simulation, TU Wien
  • Risk factors and work situation of health workers in the COVID-19 epidemic, MedUni Vienna
  • Problems and solutions of the community-based care network for people with mental illness during the COVID-19 pandemic, IMEHPS.research
  • Daily updated corona map, CSH Vienna
  • SARS CoV-2: Mental Health in Austria, MedUni Vienna
  • Self-reported COVID-19 symptom tracking using an anonymized online survey, MedUni Vienna

Understand society in the crisis

  • Panel survey in the Corona crisis, Uni Vienna
  • COVID-19 in the context of flight and integration - Social implications of the pandemic for the Syrian and Afghan community as well as refugee care NGOs in Vienna, ÖAW
  • Multiple burdens under COVID-19: home office and domestic work, WU Wien
  • Mutual citizenship in Corona-times, WU Wien

Education and school

  • Learning in a state of emergency - risks and opportunities, ZSI
  • Learning during Covid 19 - a challenge for self-regulation, Uni Vienna
  • COVID19 and education: What can be done to ensure that the health and educational crises do not turn into social selectivity in the classroom?, IHS

Economy and logistics

  • Forecasting models to ensure the provision of services of general interest, TU Wien
  • Effects of SARS-CoV-2 measures on economic activity abroad - and local jobs, WU Wien
  • Optimal restart of the economy, CSH Vienna

Additional information on the new projects is available here.

 If you have any questions about the Call and the WWTF, please contact Michael Stampfer.

The sender takes full responsibility for the content of this news item. Content may include forward-looking statements which, at the time they were made, were based on expectations of future events. Readers are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements.

As a life sciences organization based in Vienna, would you like us to promote your news and events? If so, please send your contributions to news(at)lisavienna.at.