The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide, followed by a huge impact in many fields around us under nonstop pandemics caused by the new strong infectivity of mutated variants. COVID-19 has brought exceeded expectations for the countries all over the world, no matter in public health, economics as well as society. Facing these, it presents an unprecedented challenge to public health, especially in providing rapid and accurate detection and diagnosis, as well as not only treatment but also prevention for the pandemic.
The National Science and Technology (NSTC) has initiated the “Research Center for Pandemic Prevention Science” Program in June 2020 and has established multiple aspects of inter-disciplinary research to collaborate for not only controlling the disease but also taking preparations and directions against future pandemic diseases, by a subsidy to effectively integrate the cross-domain capabilities of various universities and assist the government in emergency response to emerging epidemics. To extend our national anti-pandemic capability and conquer the emerging infectious diseases in the future, this project funding by NSTC will continuously put efforts to mature the research foundation for future innovation, cultivate domestic talent, and mature our precision-guided anti-epidemic science for well-translating basic research findings into clinical applications. This could facilitate the verifications of anti-pandemic products speedier and their practicality more applicably. It also helps to level up national emergency response capability in the face of major emerging infectious diseases and eventually build up a sustainably evolving scientific research rock for our country. The objectives are not only to conquer the virus but also to establish the flexibility and ability to counteract epidemiological emergencies and build the foundation of infrastructure for emerging infectious diseases in the future.
