Pedro Duque highlights competitiveness of Spanish research against COVID-19 and expects results

The Minister for Science and Innovation, Pedro Duque, stressed that the scientific community is working around the clock to find a solution to the healthcare emergency caused by SARS-CoV-2 and emphasised that Spanish research is competitive and will be able to produce results of significant value to this global struggle to find treatments and vaccines. Spanish Royal Decree-Law 8/2020, which was approved by the Council of Ministers on 17 March, includes 30 million euros for the promotion of research on the new coronavirus.

Pedro Duque explained that Spanish researchers are in daily contact with centres in other countries and there is a constant two-way stream of ideas on finding the best solution to this crisis. "The Spanish research we are supporting is competitive and will be able to produce results of significant value to this global struggle", he said.

More specifically, Pedro Duque stressed that Spain has the capacity to manufacture vaccines and medicines, both those discovered in the country and those that come from overseas. The necessary capabilities are being maintained and supported with that in mind. Coordination within the European Union especially is particularly guaranteed, and this will enable the solutions encountered by science to then be developed.

Pool Moncloa/Borja Puig de la BellacasaIn terms of Spain, the minister explained that Spanish researchers began intense work as soon as this disease became known back in January. In early February, resources were mobilised to guarantee the greatest advantages and abundant resources for this research.

Spain is highly competitive in several areas and the focus is being placed on these. The government is promoting research at various centres that are working on both their own projects and collaborating on EU projects. By way of example, Pedro Duque mentioned a number of these projects in particular:

• At the National Biotechnology Centre (Spanish acronym: CNB), the team led by Luis Enjuanes and Isabel Sola is working to develop a vaccine. At the same centre, there is another team led by Mariano Esteban that is working on another vaccine based on a different strategy with viral proteins.
• The Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (Spanish acronym: ICN2) is working on a rapid diagnosis method via a new device based on optical biosensor nanotechnology that will allow the coronavirus to be detected in some 30 minutes.
• The National Microelectronics Centre-IMB is working with the ICN2 on the need for electronics by manufacturing chips in its clean room.
• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Hospital Clínico are working on another rapid diagnosis kit.

The National Supercomputing Centre-Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (Spanish acronym: CNS-BSC) is running various advanced medicine design projects assisted by high-performance computing power. Furthermore, it is assisting other groups to provide calculating power that, in combination with biochemical screening and phenotyping, can significantly reduce the time needed to create new drugs.

The Carlos III Health Institute, managed under the Ministry of Science and Innovation, has also launched an additional call for applications to begin high-level research under the COVID-19 Fund, to which have been allocated up to 24 million euros. This was approved by the Royal Decree-Law on urgent and extraordinary measures to tackle the economic and social impact of the new coronavirus.

Furthermore, Pedro Duque explained that public research bodies and universities are working hard to make their healthcare material and COVID-19 diagnosis capabilities available to the Ministry of Health: throughout Spain, the National Scientific Research Council (Spanish acronym: CSIC) has 47 biosafety laboratories and 437 genetic virus analysis machines for sample analysis that the health authorities can already make use of to detect COVID-19. A total of 27 universities have notified the availability of an initial 937 trained individuals for performing diagnosis testing and a large quantity of material resources.

Furthermore, the Government of Spain is going to support innovation at companies whose business may have been affected by this healthcare emergency. On Tuesday, the Council of Ministers approved a line of security-free direct financial aid for business R&D+i with the mobilisation of 500 million euros in loans for SMEs and companies of up to 1,500 employees. The Spanish minister thanked the scientific community for the "huge effort it is making. The vaccine will arrive and will be made available to the Spanish people", he stated.

Non official translation