Euractiv.com with AFP Est. 2min 17-02-2021 Ursula von der Leyen speaks to the press in the European Parliament on 10 February 2021. [Europe by Satellite] Euractiv is part of the Trust Project >>> Print Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram The EU will launch a programme to study COVID-19 variants and produce “second generation” vaccines against future strains, the Commission president has said. The “HERA incubator” programme, which begins Wednesday (17 February), will bring together the pharmaceutical industry, laboratories, health authorities and researchers, Ursula von der Leyen told French daily Les Echos on Tuesday. “The virus has evolved and will continue to evolve,” said a spokesperson for the bloc – which has been criticised for its slow rollout of vaccines so far. MEPs grill von der Leyen over shaky COVID-19 vaccine strategy EU lawmakers questioned Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for hours on Tuesday (2 February) over the slow rollout and shortage of COVID-19 vaccines as she took responsibility for an export control plan that angered Britain and Ireland. “It is important we prepare for mutations.” Member states will also be asked to contribute additional funds so the EU can adapt and modify contracts already signed with vaccine providers and secure doses against future variants, Bloomberg reported. The EU Commission did not comment when contacted by AFP. With delays to deliveries of three already-authorised vaccines by AstraZeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, the EU’s medicines regulator is under pressure from European capitals to speed more into service. US pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is the latest to apply for authorisation for its coronavirus vaccine in the EU with a decision possible by the middle of March, Europe’s drugs regulator said Tuesday. Read more with Euractiv Over 20% of digital healthcare startups emerged during the pandemicThe COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the digital transformation of healthcare, encouraging numerous innovative startups to step up and address previously unmet challenges, analyst Benedikt Blomeyer told EURACTIV in an interview, stressing the huge potential of digital applications in health.