CORPORATE | 03.25.2020

MAPFRE will donate 5 million euros to the Spanish National Research Council, to accelerate the investigation into COVID-19

Redacción MAPFRE

MAPFRE’s support will enable the activation of new lines of research related to this pandemic, to facilitate the future vaccine.
This donation is part of a set of actions that MAPFRE is implementing to protect people, the economy and jobs, and help society overcome this crisis.
Spain’s CSIC was instrumental in obtaining the vaccine that allowed fighting SARS 2002.
It generates 20% of Spain’s national scientific production, and is responsible for 45% of the patents applied for by the public sector in Spain.

MAPFRE will donate five million euros to the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) to accelerate research in Spain and, especially, investigations related to COVID-19. The contribution will allow a comprehensive study of this pandemic, deepen the knowledge of the virus and its transmission mechanisms, and promote not only a vaccine against it, but also a scientific basis to better protect the population against future pandemics.

This action is announced within the framework of a MAPFRE’s strategy against COVID-19 based on three lines of action: protect people, safeguard economic activity, especially employment, and help society to overcome the impact in the medium and longer term.

The National Center for Biotechnology (CNB) of CSIC was already a pioneer, and decisive with its genetic engineering techniques, for the achievement of the SARS vaccine in 2002.

“Companies, as corporate citizens, must also have a relevant role participating in public-private alliances such as this that allow the fight against the pandemic to be accelerated,” said Antonio Huertas, president of MAPFRE. “It is at these times when we have to take firm steps that help society to overcome this extraordinary situation, and contribute to the way out of this crisis with the least possible impact. We are all called to coordinated and solidary action, we are very proud to contribute to the research that CSIC is leading, and we hope that more entities will join this effort to achieve the vaccine that the world population needs ” .

MAPFRE also wants to vindicate the work of scientists and researchers not only at specific times like those present, but in general as an essential activity for the progress of individuals and societies.

Rosa Menéndez the president of CSIC, stated that “this donation represents a considerable boost for the CSIC teams. We are already working to unravel the keys to the new coronavirus, but we are also launching more than 50 coordinated projects to jointly address the challenge posed by the pandemic. These are projects that range from biotechnology and diagnostic nanosensors to mathematical models to understand the spread of the disease. MAPFRE’s support will allow us to accelerate these projects ”.

The donation will be made through Fundación MAPFRE, with immediate effect. Fundación MAPFRE is a non-profit entity that has been working for the benefit of society for more than 45 years, executing social actions aimed at the most vulnerable groups.

The MAPFRE Group continues to deploy a broad action plan against the coronavirus in all the countries where it is present. In addition to the widespread implementation of teleworking, it is guaranteeing the service in essential coverages with the maximum protection measures for employees, collaborators and clients. Likewise, the company has just announced a set of measures in Spain, worth 30 million euros, to protect the activity of self-employed and SMEs through the duration of the crisis: MAPFRE will discount in its policies the part of the insurance premiums that cover the professional activity corresponding to the confinement period.