Drawing on prior experience from the MRC’s response to the Zika outbreak, Jonathan (pictured), with partners from across MRC and NIHR, established the UKRI-NIHR COVID-19 rapid response initiative, while supporting UKRI leadership in understanding the challenge posed by COVID-19 and potential priorities for our response. The UKRI-NIHR initiative has encompassed two initial calls and then a rolling call. Together these calls have funded over 75 projects to understand, prevent, treat and control Covid-19. Projects awarded include the RECOVERY trial, led by Professor Peter Horby, and the two highly publicised vaccine trials led by Professor Sarah Gilbert and Professor Robin Shattock and PHOSP-COVID, led by Professor Chris Brightling, one of the world’s largest studies looking at the long-term health impacts of COVID-19.
In addition to working with NIHR, Jonathan has worked with partners from across UKRI, acting as deputy chair for research on the UKRI Research and Innovation Coordination Group, which manages the UKRI open call funding research projects that address and mitigate the social, economic, cultural and/or longer term impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Jonathan is also a programme board working group member of the vaccines taskforce. The objective of the vaccines taskforce is to ensure longer-term vaccination capability and capacity for clinical and industrial benefit. In addition, he has led UKRI’s investment in COG-UK, which is delivering large-scale and rapid whole-genome virus sequencing to address priority research and public health needs.
Congratulations also to the following people closely connected with the MRC who have been recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2020:
Biobank Manager at the MRC, University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. For services to the NHS during the Covid-19 response.
Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. For services to the Covid-19 response.
Professor Sir Stephen Holgate KBE
Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology and Honorary Consultant Physician, University of Southampton. Council member of the Natural Environment Research Council. For services to medical research.
Professor of Child Health and Outbreak Medicine, University of Liverpool and Consultant Respiratory Paediatrician, Alder Hey Children's Hospital. For services to the Covid-19 response.
Professor Catherine Sudlow OBE
Professor of Neurology and Clinical Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Director of BHF Data Science Centre, Health Data Research UK, and lately Chief Scientist, UK Biobank. For services to medical research.
Professor in Infectious Diseases and Consultant Virologist, MRC - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research. For services to the NHS during the Covid-19 response.
Principal Research Associate, Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science and programme co-lead for the MRC Metabolic Diseases Unit. For services to research and communication and engagement.
For further information on the Queen's Birthday Honours 2020, please visit: GOV UK: Queen's Birthday Honour's List 2020.