The Ministry of Science and Technology is investing in more than 80 urgent studies in the field of the Corona virus

The studies are expected to be completed within a few months to a year at the latest

The research fund of the Ministry of Science and Technology has approved the funding of over 80 studies in the field of the corona virus. This is the first time since the outbreak of the Corona virus that a government office finances research dealing with the epidemic and its consequences for Israeli society.
With the understanding that the fight against the corona virus is on several fronts, the Ministry of Science Foundation has approved the financing of a variety of groundbreaking studies in various fields: about 30 studies in the field of medicine (diagnostics, drug treatment, vaccination, prediction of spread, medical equipment, etc.) and about 50 studies in the field Public health and the social consequences of the corona (social resilience, economic impact, treatment of special populations and more). All the selected research proposals are research proposals that are essential to carry out now, in this challenging period, and they are also short-term studies, which are expected to be completed between two months and a year at the latest, so that they can be implemented already in the current crisis and be better prepared for the continuation, for life alongside the Corona.

Among the groundbreaking medical studies:

• Development of fast and sensitive serological tests (based on antibodies) - The Hebrew University, Bar Ilan University and the Weizmann Institute of Science
• Three studies for vaccine development based on different approaches - Ben Gurion University, Bar Ilan University, Technion
• Delaying the infection of covid 19 with the help of approved drugs - Weizmann Institute of Science
• Development of a genetically based model for the spread of epidemics - Weizmann Institute of Science
• Using artificial intelligence to identify patients who may develop severe symptoms - Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Center
• Remote monitoring of the oxygen level in the patients' blood by tracking the patient's eye movements - Bar Ilan University
• Development of a coating that prevents the infection of the virus - The Hebrew University
• Development of a reusable active face mask - Ben Gurion University of the Negev
• Development of a split respiratory system for several patients - Azrieli - Jerusalem Academic College of Engineering. Groundbreaking research in the field of public health/social sciences:
• A multidisciplinary and comparative study on exit strategies from the Corona crisis - the National Knowledge Center for Emergency Preparedness
• The day after the Corona, compensation mechanisms for bodily injuries - the academic reading Ono.
• Challenges and dealing with poverty in the days of Corona - Haifa University
• Elders under fire in the days of the Corona virus: cumulative traumatic reality - Sapir College
• Building social resilience and trust in the era of the Corona epidemic - University of Haifa
• Licensing of health professions during an emergency - The Hebrew University
• Availability and treatment of life-threatening acute illness in the shadow of the pandemic - Hadassah Hospital, Hebrew University
• An epidemiological-economic model for prevention strategies for the spread of the coronavirus - Ben Gurion University of the Negev

The Ministry of Science and Technology quickly approved the budget for research in the Exceptions Committee of the Treasury and in fact some of the researchers have already started the research work. A record number of about 25 academic institutions and hospitals won the funding grants, including Hadassah Hospital, Sheba Medical Center and Soroka Medical Center and academic institutions: the Hebrew University, the University of Haifa, the Technion, Bar Ilan University, Ben Gurion University, Azrieli - Jerusalem Academic College of Engineering, Shmuel Naaman Institute, the Institute for National Security Studies, the Technological Institute in Holon and more. About half of the selected studies, about 40 studies, were submitted by female researchers.

The research proposals were selected from about 360 studies that were submitted to the Ministry of Science and Technology in response to a call for studies in all fields related to Corona. All the proposals were examined by judges from both the academy and bodies dealing with providing an immediate response to the needs of the State of Israel in the Corona crisis (Ministry of Health, MPAAT, Biological Institute, etc.). The judging criteria were: the importance of the research at the current time, innovation, scientific value and applied value of the proposals, the ability of the researcher to carry out the research and the possibility of implementing the research in a short time.

The Minister of Science and Technology, MK Ofir Akunis: "I am proud of the Israeli researchers and scientists who work day and night in the laboratories trying to find the solution to the corona virus. The Ministry of Science and Technology, under my leadership, increased the budget for supporting scholarships for researchers by 176% and has also acted quickly to obtain unique grants for research in the field of the Corona virus. Science, technology and innovation are at the forefront of the international fight against the spread of the corona virus. Our researchers, who are known for their groundbreaking research, are also now doing everything they can to help humanity as a whole overcome the current crisis and return our lives to normal as much as possible."

Director General of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Ran Bar: "In the days when we all have our eyes on the science that will find the vaccine for Corona, the Ministry of Science and Technology, as the one who leads applied scientific research in Israel, is proud to be the first to promote and finance dozens of groundbreaking studies in the field of Corona. The selection of studies that will be completed within a few months and in a variety of disciplines, medical and social, will provide the medical teams with diagnostic methods, treatment and advanced medical equipment and the decision makers with additional knowledge and data for the strategic accuracy of the exit from the crisis."

On the same topic on the science website:

• Researchers from Bar-Ilan have developed a technology that turns water into a powerful disinfectant effective against Corona
• Identifying a trap and finding an ultimate antibody for corona at the Weizmann Institute
• The slow are the fastest: a new method for separating molecules and biological particles in tiny samples (The Technion)
• A scientist from Tel Aviv University received approval for a patent he submitted for a corona vaccine