To include several different perspectives related to the corona pandemic has been one of the main objectives of the call. From the 27 valid applications that have been submitted, an assessment committee has selected a maximum of ten projects, which, due to the Vice-Chancellor’s decision, are now awarded 700,000 SEK each. Of these, half are funded by the Vice-Chancellor and half by the faculty/research centre.

“It is important that we, in the university and higher education world, do not become too busy with our own everyday life, with everything that must be done in order to uphold education and ongoing research during these circumstances,” says Kerstin Tham.

She adds: “At the same time, we need to raise our eyes, formulate questions and produce new knowledge that society needs to deal with the consequences of the pandemic.”

The funding will be used for pilot studies that may later form the basis for larger research projects. The goal is to publish the results of the pilot studies and then use these to apply for external research funding. The pilot studies will ideally be conducted during the autumn of 2020 and will be finalised by May 31, 2021.

“It is fantastic to see the great commitment and willingness of our researchers to contribute during this situation. Among the applications that have been granted funding, several different subject areas are represented,” says Kerstin Tham.

She concludes: “By funding these pilot studies, we hope that our researchers will be well prepared when external research financiers are going to announce funding for current research areas.”

Projects that have been granted funding:

• Public health, epidemics and urban planning: reinstating the connection
• Towards More Reliable Predictions: Multi-model Ensembles for Simulating the Corona Pandemic
• Virtual conferencing to promote research and scholarly exchange during the current pandemic and possible future disruptions
• Exploring viral interactions targeting mammalian cells – in vitro studies for developing advanced 3D models of cell cultures and tools for inhibition of virus targeting
• Det yttersta skyddsnätet i tider av pandemi – Kvinnojourer satt under press
• Röster från en stängd idrottsvärld – Coronakrisen som en möjlig grund för utveckling
• Citizens building local resilience by health promotion during the COVID19 pandemic
• Biomimetic surfaces and sensors for detection and inhibition of Covid19 virus and antibodies
• mHealth in pandemic situations: Smartphone based portable and wearable sensors for COVID-19 diagnostic
• The Corona Crash Course: COVID19 and Digitalisation–Consequences for Higher Education for Teaching and Learning

https://mau.se/en/news/Malmo-University-spends-seven-million-on-coronavirus-research/