The cooperation agreement between the Italian province of Alto Adige (South Tyrol) and the FWF is bearing fruit: the researchers Hannes Schuler (Free University of Bozen-Bolzano) and Christian Stauffer (BOKU Vienna) are the first bilateral team to receive joint project funding. In their project, the researchers from Bolzano and Vienna are using genome analysis to explore new ways of protecting fruit trees from the damage wrought by apple proliferation disease. The province of South Tyrol and the FWF are each investing nearly EUR 300,000 in the cooperation project.
In addition to close international cooperation in the SARS-CoV-2 urgent funding programmes, the Austrian Science Fund FWF has set up a further cooperation project with Switzerland: the FWF is participating in the coronavirus research programme run by the Swiss National Science Foundation. Researchers from Austria can form teams with colleagues from Switzerland and jointly initiate research projects.
For the second time, the Austrian Science Fund FWF has approved research projects totalling EUR 8.6 million for innovative and interdisciplinary cooperation between excellent postdoc teams.
Several organisations support cutting-edge research through the FWF and thus help kick-start research projects for a better future. Currently, researchers can submit promising project proposals within the framework of four calls.
In response to the outbreak of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the German Research Foundation has organised a call for interdisciplinary research into epidemics and pandemics. The FWF has joined this initiative.
Understanding the virus, developing drugs and vaccines, and researching the economic, social, and legal consequences: desperately needed answers require well-funded basic research
The key to fighting a global crisis like a pandemic is gathering as much knowledge as possible in the shortest amount of time: knowledge about the virus itself, about effective therapies, as well as their social, economic, and legal impacts. The far-reaching effects of the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak are currently turning the lives of billions of people upside down. The knowledge and methodological expertise of basic researchers are indispensable in the struggle against such crises and for coping with their consequences. New research projects in Austria are intended to enhance the existing potential, contribute to the rapid gain in knowledge, and thus prepare for future challenging situations.
Due to the decree on the cancellation of events passed by the government on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, as well as in response to the appeal to restrict social contacts, the FWF is following the guidelines as well as precautionary measures and postponing the events planned for March and April indefinitely.
Open access to data, reproducible methods, and research work that goes beyond publications—by establishing the ‘Hong Kong Principles’, researchers and research organisations from all over the world have agreed on common principles for assessing research. The goal is to strengthen the focus on the trustworthiness of research.
