مشاريع صندوق العلوم والتكنولوجيا مصر

COVID-19 emerged as an infectious disease caused by a novel virus; SARS CoV-2. The global spread of the highly infectious disease during the early months in 2020 led to the declaration of COVID-19 as a pandemic by the WHO in March 11th. Egypt has been affected by the pandemic where a partial lockdown was imposed during the early months of disease proliferation in the country earlier this year. Despite extensive international scientific efforts and global spending, specific drug treatments or effective vaccines are yet to be realized. This points at knowledge gaps in our understanding of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical course including the devastating immunologic response to the virus as well as the long-term impact of infection. These constitute urgent questions to be prioritized and addressed to support healthcare providers and policy makers in taking decisions to combat the current pandemic. For example, efficient screening and diagnostic tools are urgently needed. Epidemiologic information must be continuously updated and analyzed for clinical insights. Science, Technology and Innovation Funding Authority STDF announces the second COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Call in response to the continuing unprecedented challenge of the global spread of SARS CoV-2 with its associated impact on health, society and economy. The aim of the call is to fund research proposals which are expected to have direct impact on the current pandemic.