Dear Friends of ANFF,

Straight to the elephant in the room, the COVID-19 Pandemic has impacted all of us significantly – as you are no doubt only too aware this is an unprecedented situation that has restricted our ability to collaborate and interact with others in a way that hasn’t been seen within our lifetimes.

However, this is a time that justifies why we are involved in science, why we invest in research infrastructure, and why we spend years turning fundamental research into tangible results that benefit mankind.

Many of you are now wisely following the advice of medical professionals and staying away from work to reduce the spread of Coronavirus, while others are actively involved in fields that can help fight back or protect those on the frontline. I’d like to take this opportunity to firstly thank both of these groups and to tell you all that we are here to support you during this time.

For those staying at home, we are still available for discussions, planning, and providing expertise – we’ll still be here when things return to normal and can take this time to prepare new exciting projects that will help reinvigorate our scientific community as well as our national and international economies when that opportunity comes along.

For those active in areas that are critical to the COVID-19 response, particularly those that are immediately relevant, please get in touch. We are prioritising your work across our network but in addition to our traditional R&D support, we will also be working to fill supply gaps and providing assistance in any other way that we can. Do contact us via our dedicated email address (FightingCOVID@anff.org.au) if there’s anything you need and we will leverage our entire network to assist you.

Within ANFF, we’re lucky enough to have a strong community of colleagues from across the world. I’d like everyone that we work with or alongside to know that the best wishes of the team are with you and your families. Continue to follow the advice of the authorities, and let’s work towards bouncing back when we arrive at more typical times.

All the best,

Dr Ian Griffiths

Chief Executive Officer of ANFF