Next call for Social Challenge 1 of H2020 in COVID-19
7 May 2020
Badiola believes that the epidemic could be controlled in Spain before July, "if things are done well"
8 May 2020
It will be made up of ten experts in different disciplines, and it is the first community to implement it. The DGA launches a subsidy of one million euros for research projects
Aragon will have an advisory commission of scientists, the Covid Future Think Tank, to collaborate with the regional Executive in the social and economic reorganization necessary after the pandemic. An entity made up of ten experts in different disciplines, with whom the Government of Aragon is still contacting, but which is expected to be activated next week.
This was revealed this Thursday by the Minister of Science and University, Maru Díaz, in the area commission that was held electronically in Parliament. According to Díaz, Aragón will be the first autonomous community to have a body of these characteristics and also "cross-cutting." According to what she has explained, the ministry has a scientific advisory committee of seven members, but focused on the disease, while this regional one will include not only health scholars but also new technologies, entrepreneurship, socioeconomics or ethics.
At the same time, the Executive is going to launch, in the coming days, a line of subsidy of one million euros for scientific research related to the pandemic that was left out of the 5 funded by the Carlos III national institute, and the one supported by the CSIC. It has been the institute itself that has indicated to the DGA which ones are most viable, according to the counselor, and there are eight that are likely to receive funding. Among others, a study of why the virus causes intestinal inflammation, a computational data platform or a serological control system.
TECHNOLOGIES
In his successive appearances, at the request of PP and Ciudadanos and also at his own request, Díaz has pointed out that the priority avenues for his advice, apart from those mentioned, involve improving internet connections in the community, which have been demonstrated essential in the pandemic. Not so much in the so-called white areas, without any access to the network, but in the gray ones, with poor connections, derived from the fact that the network is designed for use "from ten years ago", not for the teleworking that is currently required.
For the moment, Europe has opened up to public administrations taking action on the matter, and they are talking with the ministry to be able to intervene at the regional level. This Friday they have a meeting. In this regard, Díaz has admitted that the statements of the Minister of University, Manuel Castells, minimizing the digital divide, "were not accurate", as they did not take other territories into account.
At the same time, the DGA will also launch an Itainnova aid line of 800.000 euros for technological business projects, which will include bonuses of up to 10.000 euros for SMEs and emerging companies (startups).
