COVID-19 pandemic: how to receive and offer support?

In light of the current COVID-19 outbreak, several actions have been put into place to cushion the negative effects of the pandemic. The sweeping changes we are facing are indeed unprecedented and require resilience and swift adaptation. To help you find the support you need, we have compiled a list of useful links. You will find information on access to finance and liquidity measures; platforms bringing together different actors to share needs and solutions; European support initiatives for the healthcare industry and much more.

The European Commission’s webpage on the COVID-19 response offers a thorough overview of the resolute actions taken to reinforce our public health sectors and mitigate the socio-economic impact in the European Union. Furthermore, it gathers specific information on the economic response to the pandemic and provides inspiring examples of European solidarity and the efforts to coordinate Member States’ national responses to the outbreak.

Finally, you will also be able to read more about the European Union Emergency Support Instrument for the healthcare sector.

On the dedicated webpage by the Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs you will find information on how to take advantage of public procurement and access to finance for SMEs and what are the liquidity measures available to support European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the affected industry sectors.

The Enterprise Europe Network-led platform Care & Industry together against CORONA offers concrete support to help coping with the coronavirus crisis. It builds bridges between actors in healthcare, industry, support organisations, government, academia and companies who can provide medical equipment and treatment solutions. Interested organisations can register to the platform to showcase initiatives, express their needs and contributions.

The BioWin Cooperation Platform COVID-19, developed in partnership with the Enterprise Europe Network Partners in Wallonia, gathers healthcare initiatives on current topics ranging from development of new treatments, ventilators and hydroalcoholic gels to data science and Artificial Intelligence. It encourages exchanges among participants and enables them to find partners for their proposals.

In the continuous effort to support researchers around the world in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, the European Commission, together with several partners, has set up the European COVID-19 Data Platform to enable the rapid collection and sharing of available research data.

The insightful webpage set up by the European Cluster Collaboration Platform, funded by the EU programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and SMEs (COSME), provides reliable information on European Commission’s actions related to industry and industrial clusters. Furthermore, it provides an open discussion forum where registered users can share their experiences, needs and solutions.

Several deadlines for some Horizon 2020 calls have been extended to give more time to applicants to prepare their project proposals. You will be able to find the list of concerned calls on the European Research Area – corona platform. On the platform, you will also be able to find information on Horizon 2020 projects working on the coronavirus disease, to learn more about initiatives tackling COVID-19 and a list of FAQs concerning Horizon 2020 programmes and the coronavirus crisis.