Facing Covid-19 with children, a dubious car trip and feared digital divides
From the archive: In the midst of the bird flu outbreak in 2006, the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences criticised the UK government for not making best use of scientific evidence and for failing to properly engage with industry to develop vaccines.
Europe
Young researchers who are parents are likely to suffer harsher consequences from Covid-19 than their childless peers, according to a position paper from the European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers.
The German Research Foundation (DFG), the country’s largest public funding body, is providing additional funds of €175 million to compensate for research lost during the Covid-19 pandemic.
UK
Scientific experts have responded with dismay to reports that the prime minister’s senior adviser travelled 260 miles with his family to be near relatives when his wife developed Covid-19 symptoms.
UK Research and Innovation, together with other international funders, has announced the launch of a joint £3.8 million rapid-response call for research into Covid-19 prevention, diagnostics and treatments in Africa.
Australia
Australia’s rapidly growing digital inequality has been revealed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the focus on online learning by schools and universities, according to a Queensland University of Technology researcher.
New Zealand
The increased use of digital technologies by New Zealand’s court system during the Covid-19 pandemic has been questioned by Victoria University of Wellington legal academics.
New Zealand’s universities must play a more active role in national policy debate about the country’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, University of Auckland vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater has said.