The European Commission has announced that 23 projects were shortlisted for funding, with a total of €128.2 million going to 347 research teams from 40 countries in Europe under the emergency funding action issued in May. Nine Irish researchers and companies were awarded more than €2.9 million.

Projects were funded in the areas of rapid repurposing of manufacturing for vital medical supplies and equipment (€22.1 million), behavioural, social and economic impacts of the outbreak responses (€28 million), pan-European COVID-19 cohorts (€19.9m) and collaboration of existing EU and international cohorts of relevance to COVID-19 (€3 million) and medical technologies, digital tools and artificial intelligence analytics to improve surveillance and care at High Technology Readiness Levels (€55.2 million).

Digital tools and artificial intelligence analytics

Irish applicants did particularly well in the area of medical technologies, digital tools and artificial intelligence analytics.

Enterprise Ireland client Palliare Limited is co-ordinating a project focusing on controlling viral aerosols in COVID-19 and beyond. Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, University College Cork, TU Dublin, and Cork spin-out BioPixS Limited are also all partners in successful consortia.

BioPixS is a key member of a consortia led by Spanish researchers working on a portable platform for the assessment of microvascular health in COVID-19 patients at the intensive care.

Garrett Murray, national director for Horizon 2020 at Enterprise Ireland, said: “This announcement is a great success for Ireland and is testament to the capability and talent within the Irish research and innovation system particularly in areas relevant to the challenges posed by COVID-19.

"As citizens we rely on our innovators and researchers to help us overcome some our greatest societal challenges and as drivers of economic growth.

"To date, Irish companies and researchers have been awarded and contracted in excess of €987 million in funding under Horizon 2020 – with more in the pipeline.

'Many opportunities for Irish enterprises'

"There continues to be many opportunities for Irish enterprises and researchers under the Horizon 2020 Programme, including calls for proposals under the European Green Deal, worth circa €1 billion that will be issued in the autumn.”

Sanathana Konugolu Venkata Sekar, CEO, BioPixS Ltd said: “In VASCOVID, our novel phantoms will fast track instrument development by enabling standardised approach to characterisation/verification, and also provide quality control during day-to-day operations of VASCOVID device.

"A spinout of IPIC/Tyndall/UCC, this is a proud moment for us to positively impact on the challenges posed by this pandemic by partnering with leading institutes across Europe.”

Enterprise Ireland encourages all Irish researchers and innovators to look at the remaining opportunities under the programme and to contact their national contact points in Enterprise Ireland and across the Horizon 2020 national support network for information, guidance and expert support in evaluating opportunities and making applications.