GRC Statement on collectively confronting novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)

Please click here for a compilation of GRC participants’ responses to the novel Coronavirus disease.

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic presents a significant challenge that requires a global response informed by the very best scientific research.

The Global Research Council (GRC) is calling on its participating organisations and the global research community to collaborate in the fight against the virus and encourages openness in sharing research findings and data which will help ensure diagnostics, vaccines and prevention measures are developed rapidly for the benefit of every nation.

Bringing together the main publicly funded research funding agencies from across the world, the GRC is dedicated to high quality, multilateral research, cooperation and collaboration through the sharing of data and best practice. 

The GRC recognises the important role research plays in addressing global challenges and will continue to bring research funders together to support multilateral, multidisciplinary and multisectoral approaches needed to confront these challenges.

The GRC provides a vital forum for the global research community, and in the long-term this international cooperation and shared insights will strengthen collaboration in areas such as epidemiology, virology and emergency management, to enhance future epidemic responses.

The GRC Gender Working Group acknowledges that taking the diversity of the researcher pool into consideration while thinking about policies to accommodate the myriad of situations generated by COVID-19 requires access to good-quality information. Therefore, the GWG would like to take this opportunity to: (1) present to GRC participating organisations a set of questions to consider in the early stages of formulating strategies, policies, actions and in dialogues with the research workforce, and (2) share a few examples of initiatives underway in GRC participating organisations in response to some of these situations.
GWG measures to address Covid-19 effects on researchers from an EDI perspective - Resource list.