UNILAG, UI To Receive UK Government’s COVID-19 Research Support

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) and the University of Ibadan are among global institutions shortlisted by the United Kingdom, (UK) to receive COVID-19 research support to address the impact and challenges of the pandemic.

According to a press release on Saturday, the UK government will invest a total of £7.2 million in 20 new areas of research to develop new technology and processes to address challenges of a future pandemic.

The projects for execution include “delivering mass vaccination capacity in Bangladesh, protective equipment for refugees in Jordan and remote healthcare access for patients in Nigeria”.

UNILAG alongside the University of Bath, England will lead the research project to address the issue of limited COVID-19 testing capacity in Africa, and also measure the disease in domestic wastewater, which would help reveal the health status of a population.

“By studying wastewater, real-time information about infection prevalence across South Africa and Nigeria can be accessed, enabling rapid identification of COVID-19 hot spots, and helping to shape decisions around entry and exit from ‘lockdown’ periods,” the statement read.

King’s College London, on the other hand, will lead a training programme for healthcare workers across Nigeria and Tanzania — where the University of Ibadan plays a part, among other varsities including Makerere University, Uganda and St Francis University College of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania.

Health workers from these institutions will undergo training, enabling them to deliver trusted and safe care to patients over the phone where internet availability is limited.

“Trials will involve 20 health clinics in each country to test the effectiveness of remote health appointments, recommended by the World Health Organization during the pandemic, to help minimise physical contact that could spread the virus,” the UK said.

While the University of Birmingham, Brac University and Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology will lead a project to increase vaccine access in developing economies, by researching more effective ways of storing and transporting vaccines from manufacture to the point of use.

Speaking on the initiatives, the International Champion, UK Research and Innovation, Professor Andrew Thompson noted that COVID-19 is demonstrating how the world’s biggest problems transcend rich and poor countries.

He said, “To find lasting, sustainable solutions to help us all during this current pandemic as well as to make us all more resilient for the future, we require global thinking, the mobilisation of global expertise and global response. That is exactly what these new projects provide”.

The funding is a sequel to the launch of the government’s ambitious R&D Roadmap in July, which committed to boosting international collaboration in research and development and establishing global scientific partnerships that will create health, social and economic benefits across the world.

It will be managed by UK aid programmes — the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Newton Fund- through UK Research and Innovation.