As we reported in March, the Federal Government pledged $275 million to research relating to COVID-19. On April 23, 2020, an additional $1.1 billion in funding was announced and includes funding for:
- Research and Data:
- $114.9 million for research to accelerate the development, testing, and implementation of medical and social countermeasures to COVID-19. This will be provided through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
- $40 million for the Canadian COVID-19 Genomics Network for COVID-19 viral and host genome sequencing research.
- $10 million to improve data monitoring coordination of pandemic-related data across the country.
- Vaccine Development:
- $600 million to support COVID-19 vaccine and therapy clinical trials led by the private sector, and Canadian biomanufacturing opportunities. This will be provided through the the Strategic Innovation Fund.
- $23 million for the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization-International Vaccine Centre to accelerate development of a vaccine against COVID-19.
- $10.3 million over two years, and $5 million ongoing, to support the Canadian Immunization Research Network in conducting vaccine-related research and clinical trials, and monitoring of vaccine safety and effectiveness.
- Manufacturing infrastructure:
- $29 million to improve infrastructure for the production of vaccines at the National Research Council of Canada’s Human Health Therapeutics facility in Montreal.
Separately, the government also announced an additional $675,000 through the Stem Cell Network for research into a potential cell therapy to reduce the impacts and severity of acute respiratory distress associated with COVID-19.
***For more information on the legal implications of COVID-19, please consult our COVID-19 Hub. As a full service global firm with offices across Canada, Norton Rose Fulbright is closely monitoring this evolving situation over a number of practice areas including employment and labour, risk advisory, banking and finance, corporate, M&A and securities, and dispute resolution and litigation, and across a variety of industries including energy, infrastructure, mining and commodities, financial institutions, life sciences and healthcare, technology and innovation, and transport.
