"Response to COVID-19 Pandemic" 2020 Coordinated Call for BRICS Multilateral Projects is now Open

The call is organised under BRICS STI Framework Programme with the goal to enhance multilateral cooperation in basic, applied and innovation research aimed at finding joint responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participation in the call is open to consortia which consist of partners from at least three BRICS to conduct research in the following thematic areas:
1. Research and development of new technologies/tools for diagnosing COVID-19.
2. Research and development of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs, including repurposing of available drugs.
3. Genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 and studies on the epidemiology and mathematical modelling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. AI, ICT and HPC oriented research for COVID-19 drugs design, vaccine development, treatment, clinical trials, and public health infrastructures and systems.
5. Epidemiological studies and clinical trials to evaluate the overlap of SARS-CoV-2 and comorbidities, especially tuberculosis.

Application:
Applicants must submit a Joint Application Form (link for download: http://brics - sti.org/files/JAF_BRICS_Call_2020.docx) to the Call Secretariat via the online application submission tool (http://ams.rfbr.ru/BRICS) until 15:00 (Moscow Time, UTC+3 ) on August 18, 2020.
In addition to the Joint Application Form, each national team shall submit an additional national component (i.e. proposal) to the relevant national participating funding organization following all required procedures of each particular participating funding organization.

Research funding organisations participating in the call:
Brazil: National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq)
Russia: Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE), Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR)
India: Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Department of Science and Technology (DST)
China: Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
South Africa: South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC)

Further information on the call ia avalailable at the BRICS STI Framework Programme official web page: http://brics-sti.org/index.php?p=new/27/

4 ( or leading PI ) . Project consortia should consist of partners from at least three of the BRICS countries participating in a specific thematic area of the c all. A Joint Application Form (JAF) (link for download : http://brics - sti.org/files/JAF_BRICS_Call_2020.docx ) shall first be su bmitted by the P roject C oordinator to the Call Secretariat through the online BRICS STI Framework Programme Application Management System ( BRICS AMS) at http://ams.rfbr.ru/BRICS . JAF must be completed in English.