A funding initiative launched by Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University (PNU) will support 40 scientific research projects on coronavirus in an effort to counter the global pandemic.
PNU’s Research Funding Initiative, represented by the Deanship of Scientific Research, aims to leverage the university’s research capabilities in finding innovative solutions to tackle the devastating repercussions of the virus.
Dean of Scientific Research Dr. Kholoud Al-Muqrin said the research will cover several topics, including: Data, public health policies and decision-making, virus interaction with the host, diagnostic checkups and accuracy, clinical trials of therapeutic interventions, prototype manufacturing in biomedical engineering and suitability, and the assessment of the economical, social and physiological impact of the disease on society.
Dr. Al-Muqrin noted that the research is being done at several levels, and that 171 researchers have passed the first stage of the research. Of these, more than 149 researchers are employed with PNU and King Abdullah University Hospital and the rest are from local and international scientific and health research centers.
She said the initiative’s objective is to invest in the research capabilities of the university employees to find scientific solutions that could contribute to the treatment of the coronavirus and mitigate its side effects.
Once complete, the research will be published in scientific journals and those providing innovative solutions and receiving patents will be converted into industrial products with an economic value.
The research initiative is just one of a series of measures taken by the university to confront the ongoing pandemic. Moreover, the allocation of a budget for funding these scientific research projects underlines the efforts being made by Saudi Arabia in tackling this health crisis.
