The funder is also funding projects to address negative impacts of Covid-19 in developing countries
UK Research and Innovation has signed a joint statement committing to the rapid and widespread sharing of research data and findings relevant to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the statement signed by more than 160 organisations, including the Wellcome Trust and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the funders commit to make all peer-reviewed research publications relevant to the outbreak immediately open access and to share research findings with the World Health Organisation upon journal submission.
They also pledge to share interim and final research data relating to the outbreak, together with protocols and standards used to collect the data as rapidly and widely as possible, and to ensure that data or preprints shared ahead of submission will not pre-empt its publication in these journals.
The funder also announced it was inviting proposals through the Global Challenges Research Fund and the Newton Fund which directly address the negative impacts of Covid-19 across developing countries where communities are vulnerable due to long-term conflict, food and water shortages as well as crowded living conditions.
The call will consider proposals of up to 18 months as well as requests to repurpose existing UKRI award funding on active GCRF grants.
“The agile nature of the Global Challenges Research Fund in particular means that we are well placed to harness the skills of the international development research community quickly to help tackle this pandemic,” said Andrew Thompson, UKRI’s international champion.
“This call will bring together researchers, policy makers and experts with local knowledge to understand and develop solutions to mitigate the short and long-term health, social and economic consequences of Covid-19, helping to make our most vulnerable communities more resilient.”
In addition, the Arts and Humanities Research Council announced a Boundless Creativity campaign to explore and demonstrate the role of innovation, collaboration and participation in shaping cultural experiences in the current pandemic.
Four projects which had been due to premiere across 2020 will launch virtually across the summer. They include an experimental AI platform aimed at recreating live tournaments in homes and a production by the Royal Shakespeare Company using motion capture and computer game technologies, among others.