PSF receives 440 research proposals to address COVID-19 challenges

Islamabad: Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF) has received 440 research proposals from scientists, technologists, engineers and technopreneurs to carry out indigenous research to better understand and address challenges pertaining to the recent spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

According to an official of PSF, these research proposals offering immediate solutions for countering challenges associated with the prevailing health crisis would be scrutinized by the technical committee to select the best ones.

The research proposals were invited under the Competitive Research Programme (CRP)- the project of PSF. Researchers from Higher Education Commission (HEC) recognized public and private sector universities, public sector Research and Development organizations and industry applied under the programme, the official told APP. Principal Investigator was also from the HEC recognised university or public sector Research and Development organization and private industry can be onboard for pilot scale/ commercial trials, production and marketing activities.

The funding would be provided under three categories including Consortium Research Grants, Triple Helix Model and Individual Researchers. The official informed that the research would focus on Indigenous Technology and Development (Low cost Diagnostic Kits and rapid point of care diagnostic.

Test for detection of COVID-19 , Personal Protection Equipment including Masks, Tyvek Suits, Gloves, Goggles, Head Covers, Sanitizing Agents for individual use or mass level using indigenous raw material, ventilators for medical applications, Temperature Screening Devices and Microsystems for COVID-19).

The research will also focus on Targeted Studies for Infection Prevention and Control (COVID 19 outbreak in Pakistan and its pattern of spread , Population Cohort studies including vulnerable populations, Test ranges, Recovery ratio, gender division and geographical division, ICT-assisted Augmented Discovery of Potential Inhibitors, Evaluation of Intervention Strategies in response to the COVID-19 outbreaks, harnessing human mobility and surveillance data of disease forecasting during the COVID-19 epidemic, Multi-node Telehealth system for COVID-19).

The research will also emphasize on Epidemiology (Causes, Clinical manifestation and diagnosis, Critical aspects of viral infection, replication, pathogenesis and transmission, long-term protection against disease). The funding for each project would be Rs20 million, the official said.