The Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) announced the evaluation marks of submissions made by current beneficiaries of projects funded under the action 4.4 Operational Program Smart Development, funding for fight against COVID-19 pandemic. Additional funds, coming also from 4.4 Operational Program Smart Development, of almost PLN 14 million were granted to 14 research projects, including 2 at the University of Gdańsk.
Dr hab. Danuta Gutowska-Owsiak, prof. UG from the Laboratory of Experimental and Translational Immunology of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of UG and GUMed received additional funding for her project ‘Exosomes released by keratinocytes in allergy induction and environmental allergens tolerance’. As a continuation and extension of the original FIRST TEAM project, together with professor Jonathan Heddle (MCB Cracow), she designed ‘Artificial exosomes , a new approach towards the COVID-19 vaccine’ project to design and generate artificial exosomes (ArtExo) in order to test a new induction method of antiviral response. The project altogether received PLN 2.647.500,00 in funding, UG researchers will receive PLN 1.227.500,00 of it.
Dr Alicja Chmielewska from the Laboratory of Virus Molecular Biology of the Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology of UG and GUMed received additional funding for her project ‘Antiviral activity of interferon-inducible transmembrane protein (IFITM) as a new therapeutical strategy of viral infections control – in vitro and in vivo tests’ of PLN 199.750,00 under the POWROTY (returns) program.
Research works submitted to the competition had to be directly connected to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, for instance SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus biological issues or medical, epidemic, diagnostic, crisis management issues. Call for applications lasted from 15 April till 12 May. The competition saw applications from 53 beneficiaries implementing projects under TEAM, TEAM-TECH, FIRST TEAM, HOMING, POWROTY programs.
The list of all winners is available on FNP website.
Translation: Adam Myzyk