UCAM finances 24 research projects on Covid-19
These are multidisciplinary studies that will be developed by researchers from different areas of knowledge of UCAM Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia to solve or mitigate health, economic and socio-cultural problems caused by the pandemic
With its own resources and through the Vice-chancellorship for Research, UCAM Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia has decided to finance 24 projects related to Covid-19. This extraordinary call has been launched at the initiative of José Luis Mendoza, president of UCAM, and with it the University keeps on contributing to regional and national development based on knowledge, thus encouraging research in the most social aspect of the pandemic.
From the many proposals received, projects have been selected from different areas of knowledge such as Health Sciences, Social Sciences or Engineering and Technologies, with the aim of improving the situation of our society, at different levels, in the context of the pandemic. These research projects have a one-year implementation period.
Caring for the elderly
Studies of public health relevance, such as the one planned by the Nursing area on the impact of the prevention and confinement measures on the elderly, stand out. The areas of Communication and Physical Activity and Sports Sciences have also focused on the elderly population, to analyse the use of radio as a tool for emotional management and to study the effects of isolation on physical condition and psychosocial health.
Research on health
In Health Sciences, the importance of laboratory tests in the classification of disease severity will be studied. The area of Dentistry will work on the early salivary detection of Sars–Covid-2 by intra-oral plasma immunoglobulins, while the area of Bioinformatics will identify inhibitory drugs as a preventive strategy against the disease. In Food Technology, eating habits and dietary recommendations in the university population during the health crisis will be evaluated, and in Psychology, the mourning process in the isolation of the pandemic will be analysed.
Mobility and challenges for the education and tourism sector
Civil Engineering will analyse mobility during lockdown in the Region of Murcia and Education will study the teaching skills and needs that have emerged in response to the challenge of this new educational scenario. Tourism will focus its research on the cooperation between the public and private sectors and on a process of implementing technical specifications and a seal of guarantee for the sector.