Volkswagen Foundation funds research into new antiviral agents

© Region Hannover, Liebenthal

The new initiative bridges the gap between high-risk basic research and practical application. Close collaboration between research groups and interested companies is intended to help accelerate the development of a drug candidate and, ultimately, a medication—so that we are better prepared to combat future pandemics.

A frantic global search is underway for therapeutics and vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. At the same time, new, previously unknown viruses could theoretically be transmitted from animals to humans at any time, triggering infectious diseases—zoonoses. With its new funding initiative, “Viral Zoonoses—Innovative Approaches in Drug Development,” the Volkswagen Foundation aims to help proactively address this future risk.

"The coronavirus pandemic is shining a spotlight on the virology research landscape in Germany," said Dr. Georg Schütte, Secretary General of the Volkswagen Foundation. "It highlights that basic research and industry could collaborate in an even more interdisciplinary, agile, and risk-taking manner to respond quickly to future pandemics. With this initiative, we aim to specifically launch projects that pursue unconventional, innovative approaches and could lead to novel active compounds."

The research proposals submitted by scientists must demonstrate clear potential for application at the time of application and have already piqued the interest of a company. Eligible research ideas may come from the fields of medical chemistry, synthetic chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, virology, viral immunology, veterinary medicine, molecular biology, structural biology, or related disciplines.

The deadline for applications is December 10, 2020.

Further information on the Volkswagen Foundation’s initiative “Viral Zoonoses – Innovative Approaches in Drug Discovery” can be found at https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/virale-zoonosen.

(Published on September 10, 2020)