Several reports indicate that COVID-19 is not just an acute respiratory disease but may cause long-term illness or discomfort by affecting organ systems. This includes persistent fatigue, neurological disorders, breathlessness, joint and chest pain and metabolic disorders.
Especially worrying is that COVID-19 seems to cause persistent symptoms even in those with milder illness trajectories.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation is therefore establishing a new programme supporting research into the long-term health consequences of COVID-19. A total of up to DKK 40 million is available for grants between DKK 3 million and DKK 10 million for projects lasting up to 4 years.
“Knowledge about the number of patients with long-term symptoms and how to best treat them is currently limited. The purpose of this new programme is to support collaborative projects that investigate the nature, prevalence and duration of long-term symptoms and their underlying pathogenesis in COVID-19 patients and projects to develop and test treatments for long-term illness from COVID-19,” says Niels-Henrik von Holstein-Rathlou, Senior Vice President, Novo Nordisk Foundation.
The Novo Nordisk Foundation gives high priority to supporting research and other initiatives to combat COVID-19. Since March, the Foundation has awarded grants totalling about DKK 400 million for projects and initiatives related to COVID-19. Several of these projects are still ongoing.
The call for applications for the new programme on the long-term health consequences of COVID-19 illness opens on 10 November 2020, and the deadline for applying for funding is 12 January 2021.
Read more about the programme and applicant eligibility here.
Further information
Susanne Hede, Scientific Manager, PhD, + 45 3527 6629, [email protected]
Christian Mostrup, Senior Programme Lead, Communiations, +45 3067 4805, [email protected]
