en:company:News & Events:Company:SEAT donates €100,000 against COVID-19 COM/EN

SEAT funds vaccine research.

SEAT has been committed for years to promoting the health and well-being of its employees and society. In keeping with this purpose, the company has donated 100,000 euros to the #YoMeCorono initiative to help research and develop a vaccine against the COVID-19 virus. The #YoMeCorono project is led by Dr. Buenaventura Clotet, President of the Fight against AIDS Foundation, director of IrsiCaixa and honorary member of the SEAT Healthy Company Scientific Committee, together with the man researchers from the centres included in the CBIG consortium. The CBIG is made up of the CReSA Animal Health Research Centre, with extensive experience in coronavirus studies, the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC) and IrsiCaixa, and has the support of the pharmaceutical company Grifols.

With this donation, SEAT is once again helping the population and the health community with a solidarity initiative. This action is in addition to the various other projects led by the carmaker which have been carried out in recent months on a voluntary basis, such as the production of emergency ventilators and facemasks.

The company is collaborating with the Fight Against AIDS Foundation to develop a vaccine for COVID-19.

“SEAT is a supportive company committed to the health and well-being of society, which is why we are proud to contribute to COVID-19 vaccine research through the #YoMeCorono campaign. Since the beginning of this pandemic, SEAT has sought to do its part to help improve the situation during the health emergency”, pointed out SEAT President and Vice-president for Finance and IT Carsten Isensee.

Furthermore, Dr. Buenaventura Clotet, President of the Fight against AIDS Foundation, director of IrsiCaixa and honorary member of the SEAT Healthy Company Scientific Committee, said that “This contribution is a further step in the effort to find an effective tool to combat COVID-19. In this regard, I would like to thank SEAT for its ongoing commitment to society and the well-being of people. Together we will make it happen.”

Committed to health

For the past several years, SEAT has been collaborating with entities such as the Fight against AIDS Foundation as part of its corporate social responsibility strategy. In line with its commitment to corporate health and well-being, the company has an advanced healthcare programme for its employees. In 2017, CARS (Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centre) was opened in Martorell, a one-of-a-kind medical centre and pioneer in preventive, healthcare and rehabilitation medicine, which performs more than 50,000 annual consultations with SEAT employees. Along these lines, the SEAT Healthy Company Scientific Committee has been created, made up of experts from various health-related organisations, such as the renowned researcher and epidemiologist Bonaventura Clotet and researchers from Harvard University or the Hospital Clínic, who carry out research into health-related issues. In addition, SEAT recently announced the launch of CARS Madrid, an advanced medical facility with specialised health services for the close to 1,350 Volkswagen Group employees in the Spanish capital.

Moreover, and in view of the recent pandemic situation caused by COVID-19, the carmaker has made its innovation and reinvention capacity available to society to help improve the situation, and above all, to help the health system. With this objective of solidarity, the company has launched several voluntary initiatives, including the production of emergency ventilators and facemasks; giving hospitals the use of up to 150 vehicles to facilitate the mobility and transport of medical personnel and material; and carrying out PCR tests on its 15,000 workers.

It has also organised initiatives to keep workers informed at all times, such as an interview with Dr. Clotet at the beginning of the pandemic or the virtual masterclass that took place last Tuesday 16th to discuss the current situation of COVID-19, in which around 200 workers participated via streaming, and where the doctor was able to respond live to employees’ questions and concerns.

#YoMeCorono

The #YoMeCorono crowdfunding campaign supports the research project to conduct clinical trials with new drugs, develop antibodies and a vaccine against the new coronavirus. To date, the project has raised more than 2.3 million euros.