Boosting Investment in R&I: ?100,000 donation by kENUP Foundation to Malta's COVID-19 R&D Fund

kENUP Foundation has presented ?100,000 donation into Malta's COVID-19 R&D Fund. The Fund is managed jointly by the Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) and Malta Enterprise with the support of the Ministry for Finance and Financial Services, and the Ministry for the Economy, Investment & Small Businesses. The Malta fund will see ?5.3M funnelled into developing innovative and improved scientific and technological approaches to the challenges raised by COVID-19 and future pandemics.

kENUP, a Malta-based not-for-profit global partnership in innovation, promotes research-based innovation for Europe with public and societal benefit. Holm Keller, Chairman of kENUP Foundation said, "We are very grateful to the Maltese Government for the initial support in the setting up of the Foundation in the Republic of Malta. kENUP Foundation is supporting the provision of financing for companies engaged in the development of innovative products aimed at fighting COVID-19. We are therefore very happy to also contribute to the Maltese COVID-19 R&D Fund and to support projects designed to protect the Maltese people and beyond."

"With this significant donation, kENUP is giving the Malta Council for Science and Technology its appreciated support by boosting the Euro 5.3 Million COVID-19 R&D Fund set up using central government funding earlier this year," said Dr Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Executive Chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology.

In his keynote speech, Parliamentary Secretary for Financial Services and Digital Economy Hon. Clayton Bartolo said that Malta is not a newcomer to kENUP initiatives. "I know that years ago, MCST envisioned that kENUP could truly bring something new and big to Malta's ailing research and innovation sector. Along the years, kENUP has also found this government's help in addressing legal issues allowing for a novel concept in online tertiary education which ultimatley led to this setting up of EDU, also in Malta."

The Parliamentary Secretary also highlighted that six years from its inception, kENUP has solidly established itself globally in innovation support particularly in the health sector. "Through this donation our country will strengthen its cause for more investment in Research & Development," remarked Hon. Bartolo.

The video of the event can be found at https://www.covidx.eu/news/#Malta