The Helmholtz CORAERO project aims at broad interdisciplinary contributions to understanding virus spreading through aerosols and designing technical and administrative measures for mitigation and virus control. We propose research and technology transfer for novel technologies that inactivate SARS-CoV-2 and other virus, in the air and on surfaces. Therefore, CORAERO joins scientists from virus biology, medicine, applied physics, chemistry, material science, engineering as well as technology assessment and develops knowledge about virus propagation and novel inactivation technologies important for schools, factories, passenger transport systems and public places.

Scientific and engineering progress in the field requires a collaborative approach that combines new knowledge about virus survival under different conditions and treatments with knowledge from material sciences, fluid dynamics and thermodynamics. Knowledge generation has to go hand in hand with engineering to develop and assess appropriate technologies in strong collaboration between academia and industry. Therefore, CORAERO addresses the following important questions:

• How does virus load in aerosol drops correlate with drop size and infection status?
• How long does the virus persist on surfaces and in aerosols under different environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, solar flux, ozone concentration)?
• How fast do droplets evaporate in a given environment and how does this affect virus inactivation?
• When is ventilation optimal in a given space and for dynamic situations?
• What are the most efficient, safe and cost-effective technologies to inactivate virus-containing aerosols and how can they be safely deployed in public spaces?

The CORAERO project is co-ordinated by Victoria Fairweather at IEM, Augsburg.

More information and contact to be found on the CORAERO homepage.

The EU initiative PerForM-REACT is committed to "Pandemic Preparedness," striving for optimal readiness in the face of emerging pandemics through enhanced research infrastructures and interdisciplinary collaboration. Over approximately two years, partners including Helmholtz Munich, University Hospital Augsburg, and the Technical University of Munich have collaboratively established cutting-edge infrastructure within a Bavarian network, strategically located across Neuherberg, Augsburg, Garching, and Munich sites. This research framework has propelled scientific institutions into closer alignment, intensifying their focus on combating and forestalling pandemics. Primarily, it aims to formulate proactive strategies for pandemic preparedness and facilitate swift-response management strategies. The expansion of the Augsburg Biosafety Level 2 laboratory (BSL2) seamlessly complements the Biosafety Level 3 laboratory (BSL3), inaugurated a year prior at the Helmholtz Munich Campus in Neuherberg.

The opening of the expansion of the safety laboratory in Augsburg on March 11, 2024 finalized the project and was a successful start for research in the field and strengthening co-operation.

More about PerForM-REACT:

Research Highlights: Pandemic Preparedness

Pandemic Preparedness: New High-Tech Laboratory in Augsburg, March 11, 2024

Better Prepared in Future: Research Infrastructure for Pandemic Management and Prevention Expanded, March 29, 2022

Preventing the Next Pandemic: EU Funds Research Infrastructure in the Munich Area, July 14, 2022