Workshop: Research Response to COVID-19 in the Nordic Countries

TIME TO LEARN

The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that research preparedness and response is essential for an effective response to large-scale crises. The pandemic has underscored how research must be an integral part of the operational response, both for clinical practice and for broader public health interventions.On the one hand, the volume and speed of new research and development have been unprecedented, as has the rapid translation of research into policy and practice. For vaccine development, for example, research preparedness in terms of pre-existing technology, infrastructure, and plans has been critical.

At the same time, many knowledge gaps have remained unaddressed or have been closed only late. In many cases this can be tracked back to low levels of research preparedness. For example, few if any countries were well prepared for facilitating –  or even allowing – robust studies on the effect of public health and social interventions, such as school closures, travel restrictions, and face masks.

In yet other areas, the variation has been pronounced. Some countries had registries, cohorts, and genome sequencing capabilities ready to go when the pandemic hit, while others did not.

We should therefore examine the research response in the Nordic countries to date and consider how we can better prepare for the next crisis. We can learn from similarities as well as differences and from successes as well as failures. These lessons can be useful for the governments, research communities, and other key actors in the Nordic countries and beyond.