Swiss government launches Covid-19 scientific taskforce
A picture made available by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) shows a transmission electron micrograph of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles, also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes Covid-19, isolated from a patient.
Keystone / Niaid/national Institutes Of Hea
The federal authorities have set up a scientific taskforce to advise the Federal Council and to coordinate national research by universities into coronavirus.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/sb
Português
pt
Governo suíço lança força-tarefa contra a Covid-19
The “Covid-19 taskforce” will be led by Matthias Egger, president of the national research council of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF), the government announcedExternal link on Tuesday.
The group will advise the government, interior ministry and other relevant federal and cantonal authorities. It will also identify areas of research and special measures or products that the Swiss scientific community could rapidly contribute to global efforts to fight the virus.
“The Swiss scientific community offers huge potential to have a positive influence on the outcome of the crisis via research, training or knowledge transfer,” the interior ministry said.
It will aim to coordinate coronavirus research being done into diagnostic tests, healthcare, clinical research and contact-tracing via new digital applications, as well as related ethical and legal issues.
More
More
What Swiss researchers are doing to beat Covid-19
This content was published on
Swiss scientists and drug companies are playing an important role in the global effort to develop treatments or a vaccine for the virus.
The taskforce will build on a call by the SNSF on February 25 for proposals on research into coronaviruses “to tackle the current crisis and prepare for future likely epidemics”. A sum of CHF5 million ($5.2 million) has been earmarked for projects.
The SNSF has received 270 applications, according to Swiss public radio, RTS, on Tuesday. The majority of projects were biomedical, including studies of viruses and infections, the immune response in humans and the spread of the disease.
The selected projects “will provide a basis for the subsequent industrial development of active agents”. The grants available are CHF50,000-CHF300,000 per project.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Beer sales in Switzerland watered down by bad weather
This content was published on
The past brewing year fell through in Switzerland, partly due to the bad weather. Beer sales shrank again. For the first time, per capita consumption fell below the 50 liter mark.
Compensation for Syrian after pregnant wife denied help on Swiss train
This content was published on
Switzerland’s Federal Court has partially upheld the appeal of a Syrian family being deported from Switzerland to Italy in 2014. The man now also receives compensation.
Swiss-EU negotiations: Cassis to meet Sefcovic in Bern
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet the Vice-President of the EU Commission, Maros Sefcovic, in Bern on Wednesday.
Heavy snowfall in Switzerland causes traffic chaos and accidents
This content was published on
The heavy snowfall late on Thursday and during the night into Friday led to traffic chaos and many accidents in many regions of Switzerland.
Chimpanzee behaviours passed down through generations
This content was published on
Some of the complex behaviours of chimpanzees have been passed down and refined over generations. These include the combination of several tools for foraging.
More than 600,000 rounds of Swiss sniper ammunition reach Ukraine
This content was published on
Sniper ammunition from Swiss P Defence reached Ukraine via a Polish company in July 2023, reported SRF Investigativ on Thursday, citing official information.
Switzerland launches national digital inclusion alliance
This content was published on
The Swiss government launched the Swiss Digital Inclusion Alliance on Thursday with the goal of giving as many people as possible access to digital services.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
What Swiss researchers are doing to beat Covid-19
This content was published on
Swiss scientists and drug companies are playing an important role in the global effort to develop treatments or a vaccine for the virus.
‘Anti-malaria drug can kill coronavirus’: Novartis chief
This content was published on
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis believes the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine offers one of the best hopes to combat coronavirus.
Covid-19 immunity testing to begin in some Swiss hospitals
This content was published on
The hospitals are planning to roll out testing to evaluate how many people have already been infected, including those who may have already be immune.
Global cooperation needed to prevent Covid-19 drugs ‘free-for-all’
This content was published on
Weaker countries may be pushed aside in the scramble for effective drugs to fight coronavirus, an infectious diseases expert fears.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.