Newton Fund & GCRF join up to address COVID-19

07 May 2020 COVID-19 Funding GCRF Health Newton Fund Partnerships

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In response to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 crisis, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has approved a joint research funding call delivered by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which is now open (7 May 2020).

The call aims to help tackle the outbreak across developing countries where communities are already vulnerable due to long-term conflict, food and water shortages and crowded living conditions.

This exceptional joint response is the first time the Newton Fund and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) have combined in this way, and will draw on their respective strengths including GCRF’s ability to provide an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research need, and the strong bilateral partnerships fostered through the Newton Fund. Together this will enable the best researchers and innovators in the UK and internationally to assist developing countries in responding to the COVID-19 crisis.

Professor Andrew Thompson, UKRI’s International Champion, said: "There is an urgent need to understand the specific challenges faced by some of the world’s poorest people in the face of this global health crisis.

"The agile nature of the Global Challenges Research Fund in particular means that we are well placed to harness the skills of the international development research community quickly to help tackle this pandemic.

"This call will bring together researchers, policy makers and experts with local knowledge to understand and develop solutions to mitigate the short and long-term health, social and economic consequences of COVID-19, helping to make our most vulnerable communities more resilient."

Find out more and apply on the UKRI call page.

More information about how the GCRF and Newton Fund delivery partners and research community are responding to Covid-19 can be found on our website.

Are you a Newton Fund or GCRF funded researcher already tackling COVID-19? Please get in touch to tell us about your research – [email protected].