France to invest 5 bln euros in scientific research amid coronavirus pandemic

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday pledged to invest five billion euros (5.35 billion U.S. dollars) over the next decade in bolstering scientific research against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

"The COVID-19 crisis reminds us of the vital role of scientific research and the need to invest massively for the long term," Macron wrote in a Twitter message.

"I have decided to increase our research effort by five billion euros, an effort not seen since the post-war period," he said.

Frederique Vidal, minister of higher education, research and innovation, called the 10-year investment "an unprecedented effort to support the scientific community and its essential work" to prepare the country for potential future epidemics.

Macron's decision to pump more cash into scientific research came as scientists and pharmaceutical companies are racing to develop vaccines to protect against the novel coronavirus, which has already claimed over 9,000 lives and infected more than 200,000 people globally. (1 euro = 1.07 U.S. dollar)

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)