AI, data and space technologies at the service of combating COVID-19. There are two new four million contests

Support projects that aim to combat COVID-19. this is the objective of two competitions that will be launched this week and that, in total, will make available up to four million euros to the winners. Space technologies, artificial intelligence or data will be the basis of the support tools for the initiatives.

AI 4 COVID-19 is an initiative of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) launched this Monday and which will support in three million euros scientific research and technological development projects and activities to combat the current and future pandemics through aid of data and artificial intelligence (AI). The European Space Agency contest is starting this Tuesday and focuses on projects that develop solutions to combat COVID-19 based on space technologies. The financing will be up to one million euros.

Given the public health problem of COVID-19, FCT decided that the 3rd edition of the competition aimed at research projects in the field of data science and AI applied to public administration has a different focus. "This year the competition exclusively aimed at data processing in the context of the pandemic of the new coronavirus SARS CoV2 and the disease COVID-19", can be read in a statement. The application deadline for AI 4 COVID-19 ends on 28 May.

Each project will have a financing of up to 240 thousand euros, with the total value of this line of financing being three million euros. Focused specifically on stimulating the development of data processing forms and systems, the contest complements another FCT initiative, in collaboration with the Agency for Clinical Research and Biomedical Innovation (AICIB), Research 4 COVID19. The objective, in this case, is to support research and development activities aimed at immediate applications to combat COVID19.

ESA seeks solutions that use space technologies. Applications until April 20

This Tuesday the European Space Agency (ESA) will launch a contest for projects that develop solutions to combat COVID-19 based on space technologies. The initiative arises from a partnership with the Ministry for Technological Innovation and Digitalization of Italy and with the support of the Portuguese Government, through Portugal Space and FCT.

ESA, in the area of ​​health and through this competition, will support the development of projects that include, for example, remote diagnostics, remote digital monitoring, planning of medical resources, cleaning and disinfection of the affected areas. In the field of education, ESA gives priority to e-learning projects and remote training of teachers and students, motivational solutions for virtual social interaction with students and distance learning models for entrepreneurs. In either case, projects must use satellite navigation or communication technologies and earth observation systems.

The initiative that finances up to a million euros research in the areas of health and education to be applied, right from the start, in Italy, the European country most affected by the pandemic, also intends to have repercussions in other countries. "ESA, in collaboration with FCT, will support the development and implementation of specific projects in Portugal", can be read in a statement.

Applications are open until 12 noon on April 20, and projects approved in this first phase must deliver the complete proposal by May 18.

Funding for ideas that want to combat COVID-19 is multiplying around the world. This weekend, for example, the European Commission announced that three European super computers are part of a project that it has supported for three million euros, after having already called on startups and SMEs to show their strategies in another call.