15 December, 2020
Researchers and funders around the world can tap into the latest trends and gaps for future COVID-19 research to funnel resources to where there is greatest research need.
Published today, the latest quarterly Living Mapping Review (LMR) of COVID-19 funded research projects, by UKCDR and GloPID-R, looks in-depth at the trends, opportunities and remaining gaps in the long battle against COVID-19.
The UKCDR/GloPID-R COVID-19 Research Project Tracker continues to be one of the most comprehensive resources on COVID-19 research funding globally. It now contains over 5,000 funded research projects from more than 70 different research funders in 134 different countries.
Making best use of the expansive data in the Tracker, the Living Mapping Review’s crucial insights into the breadth of COVID-19 research will help both funders and researchers to prioritise resources to underfunded areas where there is greatest research need and facilitate further strategic collaboration.
Three key themes emerged in the updated analysis. Firstly, the limited evidence on the indirect health impacts secondary to the global pandemic response of COVID-19. Secondly, the unprecedented global research response has highlighted the need for strengthened research capacity, particularly in low-resource settings. Finally, an increased interest in the emerging phenomenon, now commonly referred to as “Long Covid”.
Through these emerging themes, we can better understand global research priorities as the pandemic continues to evolve, and further inform research funding decisions. These three themes have also been summarised in useful ‘highlights’ which are each available through our website:
The Living Mapping Review was published on Wellcome Open Access and is an open-access, peer-reviewed paper that is updated every three months.
- These activities form part of the exciting COVID Coordination, Research & Learning (CIRCLE) initiative which aims to provide coherence to research funding and learning opportunities for future pandemic responses, with a focus on low resource settings.
- If you are interested in finding out more – please email us at covid19@ukcdr.org.uk
- The UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR) (org.uk) is a group of UK government departments and research funders working in international development research, which exists to amplify the value and impact of research for global development by promoting coherence, collaboration and joint action among UK research funders.
- GloPID-R (glopid-r.org/) is a network of funding organizations investing in infectious diseases research preparedness and response. GloPID-R is the only alliance of its kind to bring together research funding organizations on a global scale to facilitate an effective and rapid research of a significant outbreak of a new or re-emerging infectious disease with epidemic and pandemic potential.