EIB offers EUR 10-mln loan to Polish medical researcher

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has offered a EUR 10-mln loan to Polish company Scope Fluidics to develop diagnostics equipment for infectious diseases, the bank said in a news release on Monday.
It is the first transaction in Poland that is funded by the EU's and EIB's latest instrument, the Infectious Diseases Finance Facility (IDFF), the bank said.
"By investing in this project, the Bank will provide a relevant contribution to the scientific advancement in the field of diagnostic equipment for infectious diseases, including COVID-19. This has the potential to unlock new paradigms for disease diagnostics and antimicrobial resistance," EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska was quoted as saying in the EIB press release.
"The EIB financing will support the company’s efforts to develop new, efficient and affordable methods for the detection of pathogens causing infectious diseases, including COVID-19," the bank said.
Scope Fluidics uses microfluidic technologies and focuses on rapid characterisation of antibiotic resistance of bacteria and on ultra-fast detection of bacterial and viral pathogens, EIB said about the benefactor.
The European Investment Bank is co-owned by EU members. The bank acquires funds on the capital market and distributes them in the form of low-interest loans to finance infrastructure, energy and environmental projects in the member states, EU-neighbouring countries and developing economies.