Fighting a global pandemic

The entire world has been affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) in ways that have never been experienced before. There have been dramatic changes to all aspects of our lives – simply unimaginable at the start of the year.

From the outset of the pandemic, universities demonstrated that scientific expertise could generate a solution to the crisis. Academic enterprise is at the forefront of the coronavirus response, with students and staff providing vital support to communities, and academics progressing research that could change lives. Our unique partnership with University Hospital Southampton and our strengths in medicine, life sciences, and engineering in particular are reflecting the truly remarkable capabilities of our University.

The global pandemic required an urgent response, which is why we launched the Southampton Coronavirus Response Fund within just days of the UK lockdown – and we’ve been utterly astonished by the response. As of early August, over 1,100 of you have given more than £600,000 to the Fund, with further donations flooding in every day.

This generosity is truly helping the University tackle coronavirus – from the rapid progress that our researchers and medics have been making, to the round-the-clock support that our teams have been providing to students. We’ve been developing vaccines and innovative support technology, as well as ensuring our vulnerable students are cared for and our hospitals are well staffed. You may well have seen some of this reported in national news.

The donations received have enabled us to respond quickly and effectively – accelerating our research, providing support where it’s needed most, and ultimately protecting and saving more lives. The following video series reflects on just a small number of vital projects that the Fund has already helped to advance, thanks to our alumni and supporter community.

Professors Paul Elkington and Hywel Morgan explain the pioneering PPE – PeRSo – that they’ve developed for clinical staff

Professor Diana Eccles, Dean of Medicine, and newly qualified Dr Kate Geoghegan share how they’ve been working hard to fight coronavirus

Florence, Rachel, and Emily explain how vital the Fund has been to students struggling during the pandemic

These are just a few of the many ways that the University is fighting coronavirus every day – head over to our dedicated page to watch more videos in the series. All of these projects have been supported by our wonderful community of donors; Robert Surcouf explains why he chose to give to the Fund:

As an alumnus who is lucky enough to be able to work from home, and having friends working on the front line who trained at the University, I immediately reacted to the call to support my alma mater’s efforts to respond to coronavirus. The University has a long track record of successful innovation and of working closely with University Hospital Southampton, which provides excellent care – not only to those living in and around Hampshire, but also to those of us living in the Channel Islands. It was clear that whatever sum I could donate, no matter how small, would help make a difference – so I reached for my wallet from the safety of my sofa to help make that difference happen.

The impact of coronavirus will be felt long after the initial peak of infection starts to decline. The economic effects will endure, and the sacrifices of so many and the scale of human loss will never be forgotten.

The University still has much urgent work to do. We continue to raise money for the Southampton Coronavirus Response Fund so that we can support life-changing research and vulnerable people – and remain prepared for whatever the future may hold. Find out how you can help here.