The federal government is investing $6.7 million on a Canada-wide research platform to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on children.

Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told reporters Monday in Montreal the platform will involve researchers at 16 Canadian institutions.

He says it will allow researchers in pediatric centres across the country to monitor COVID-19 infections, vaccination, and the social impact of the disease on children and youth.

The project will be led by Dr. Caroline Quach, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Montreal’s Ste-Justine children’s hospital.

The platform is called POPCORN, which stands for Pediatric Outcomes Improvement through Coordination of Research Networks.

Duclos says the POPCORN platform will also be used for researchers to share information about other pandemics or health-care emergencies.