Scientists at the University of Sheffield, an ERRIN member through White Rose Brussels, have joined a new research consortium in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The consortium has come together to map the spread of the new coronavirus with a £20 million investment backed by the UK government. 

Experts from across the UK, including public health agencies and the National Health Service (NHS), join Sheffield in the consortium to rapidly analyse the genetic code of coronavirus samples circulating in the UK. This will provide unique intelligence about the cause of the disease that will be shared with public health agencies, hospitals and regional NHS centres as they try to combat the virus. 

The team at Sheffield will also publish its samples to a global database where the genome sequences are accessible to researchers working on coronavirus solutions across the world. 

Read more about the consortium and Sheffield's involvement here.