Basel, 22nd February 2024 – To combat and prevent pandemic infectious diseases more efficiently, the European Commission funds within the Horizon Europe Framework Programme a topic on “Pandemic preparedness and response: Broad spectrum anti-viral therapeutics for infectious diseases with epidemic potential” with a 50 million EUR budget. The AVITHRAPID (Antiviral Therapeutics for Rapid Response Against Pandemic Infectious Diseases) consortium with 18 research institutions and companies from eight European countries under the leadership of the German Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft will receive a contribution of 7.5 million EUR to develop new substances against infectious diseases. In addition, the