Ferrovial donations for healthcare, research and social assistance in the UK reach almost £1,000,000

01 Jul 2020

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• Ferrovial Together COVD-19 Fund, which is still open for donations, will include up to €10 million from Ferrovial
• The second wave of donations in the UK brings the total donated to the NHS, charities, research institutes to almost £1m.
• Oxford University will receive over £450k for a vaccine development project.
• UK Foodbanks, social welfare and health service support form part of the company’s funds allocation

As subsidiaries of Ferrovial, the construction arm in the UK, Ferrovial Construction, and Amey have announced a further series of donations and support to UK organisations working to fight against the ongoing impact of COVID. The first wave of donations was announced in May 2020.

Among the funds recently released, a major donation of over £450k to the Jenner Institute of Oxford University to contribute to the optimisation of a COVID vaccine is the latest partnership to stem from Ferrovial’s emergency relief fund. The gift will purchase equipment and materials for the laboratory and provide the salaries of four scientists and a research assistant for the first 6 months of the COVID trial when staffing levels need to be at their greatest.

Ranked first in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2017, 2018 and 2019) and top in the world for Clinical, Pre-Clinical and Health research (2012–2019), Oxford University is delivering one of the most advanced projects to develop the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus vaccine.

Professor Sarah Gilbert, The Jenner Institute, said “We are extremely grateful for this generous donation from Ferrovial, which will go towards supporting our COVID-19 vaccine trials, in which we are seeking to determine the efficacy of the vaccine. This support helps our researchers, who have been working around the clock, to identify promising solutions to end this pandemic.”

The second wave of Ferrovial Donations has also continued to donate money directly to local Foodbanks across the country in collaboration with the Trussell Trust as well as donating to the charity itself. Foodbanks in Aston and Nechells (Birmingham), Falkirk (Scotland), Belfast West, Leeds South and East, North Bristol, Dorking Area (Surrey) and Blackwood and District (Wales) each received substantial gifts bringing the total amount donated to UK foodbanks to £270k. Included in the first round of donations were Vauxhall (London), Glasgow NW, Burngreave (Sheffield), South Liverpool, Pontypridd (Wales).

Other UK charities that have received donations from the Ferrovial fund include the construction industry charity, The Lighthouse Club, and SSAFA, the armed forces charity. The fund has also provided a number of ventilators to the NHS and the donation of PPE to a network of care homes.

A commitment to fighting COVID-19 globally

Ferrovial set up the “Ferrovial Together COVID-19” fund with an initial endowment of £4.5m from the company. At the same time, it launched a drive to raise funds among employees, directors, shareholders, contractors, suppliers and anyone wishing to make a donation. The company will double any contributions up to a total contribution of £9m. To date, the “Ferrovial Together COVID-19” fund has raised £7.8m through contributions by Ferrovial and third parties.

When it announced the creation of the fund, Ferrovial undertook to be totally transparent in its decisions. In the coming weeks, Ferrovial will provide updates on how its Together COVID-19 fund is being used and the impact of its activities.

To date, the company has approved a donation of £6.5 million from the “Ferrovial Together COVID-19” fund to institutions working to combat the pandemic in the social and healthcare domains and in research, in Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Chile and Portugal. That amount is the total distributed to date and includes the figure announced on 8 May. This aid will reach around 90,000 people and will enable the distribution of 1,350,000 meals.

The company has allocated close to £2.9 m in the medical field to purchase 800,000 FFP2 masks, 90,000 diagnostic tests, 90 respirators, as well as other medical and personal protective equipment, which will be donated to organisations and institutions in Spain, the United Kingdom, Chile and Portugal.

Ferrovial is also supporting research to develop a vaccine for the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, which is the cause of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the £450k donated to Oxford University, it has also allocated over £225k for two vaccine projects at Spain's National Centre for Biotechnology, which is part of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), and £135k to Baylor College of Medicine, in Texas, which is working to develop a vaccine that modifies the virus proteins.

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