 Acute pulmonary inflammation is the central feature of COVID-19. However, patients with severe COVID-19 can also suffer from cardiovascular and neurological complications such as microvascular thrombosis, cardiac injury and loss of taste and smell. The mechanisms how the virus SARS-CoV-2 affects heart and vascular cells, including those of the blood-brain barrier, are only poorly understood. The COVASC consortium, a group of four research project leaders and 10 project partners, connects experts in heart research, vascular biology and neuroimmunology as well as invurology. Together, we investigate how and if the vascular cells are prone to be infected by the SARS-CoV-2. Our work with SARS-CoV-2 will be carried out at the Swiss Institute of Translational and Entrepreneurial Medicine, SITEM ENCEL, in a biosafety level 3 laboratory, managed by the Institute for Infectious Diseases, University of Bern. Here, we infect vascular cells as well as cardiomyocytes directly with the virus in state-of-the-art cell culture systems and monitor their immune response and gene expression profile. Results generated in this high-level biosafety laboratory will then serve as a basis for further studies in animal models, which also allows us to study long-term outcomes of SARS-CoV-2 infections. By shedding more light also on the long-term effects of COVID-19, we're one step closer to helping patients achieve a full recovery from COVID-19. The National Research Programme 78, initiated by the Swiss National and Science Foundation, finances this project.