João Gonçalves, iMed.ULisboa Coordinator and group leader of the  Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology Lab, and his team, were awarded a 25.000 € grant to reinforce the diagnosis capacity of COVID-19, a task force started in latter March. With this grant, iMed.ULisboa will be able to continue contributing with its technical and scientific resources to the screening and identification of SARS-Cov-2 at the community level, thus increasing the global national testing capacity, crucial to a safer social unlocking process.

This grant is part of Novartis’ international initiative COVID-19 Response Fund, that made possible so far the donation of 375.000€ to several organizations and that was conceived to help the communities most affected by the pandemics. In Portugal, the company has been focused on ensuring that the efforts made and the resources available can effectively contribute to responding to the real needs found in the field, both by increasing healthcare infrastructures’ capacity and assuring healthcare professionals’ protection in the frontline.