President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Our priority is to ensure that all Europeans have access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible. At the same time, new variants of the virus are emerging fast and we must adapt our response even faster. To stay ahead of the curve, we are launching today the HERA Incubator. It brings together science, industry and public authorities, and pulls all available resources to enable us to respond to this challenge.”br br #eudebates #Covid19 #coronavirus #Corona #COVD19 #Health #COVID #vaccine #CureVac #Moderna #AstraZeneca br br Commission is proposing immediate action to prepare Europe for the increased threat of coronavirus variants. The new European bio-defence preparedness plan against COVID-19 variants called “HERA Incubator” will work with researchers, biotech companies, manufacturers and public authorities in the EU and globally to detect new variants, provide incentives to develop new and adapted vaccines, speed up the approval process for these vaccines, and ensure scaling up of manufacturing capacities.br br Taking action now is important as new variants continue to emerge and challenges with scaling up vaccine production are arising. The HERA Incubator will also serve as a blueprint for the EU's long‑term preparedness for health emergencies.br br Key actions to boost preparedness, develop vaccines for the variants and increase industrial production:br br - Detect, analyse and assess variantsbr br Developing specialised tests for new variants, and to support genomic sequencing in Member States with at least €75 million in EU funding;br Reaching the target of 5 of genome sequencing of positive tests to help identify variants, monitor their spread in populations, and screen their impact on transmissibility;br Stepping up research and data exchange on variants with €150 million funding;br Launching the VACCELERATE COVID-19 clinical trial network, bringing together 16 EU Member States and five associated countries including Switzerland and Israel to exchange data and progressively also include children and young adults as participants in clinical trials.