Alliance for biomedical research in Europe

Europe is facing one of the most challenging times in its history, with austerity measures being applied across member states that are leaving research programmes in uncertain territory. Funding for European research and development (R&D) programmes remains stagnant at 1.8% of European Union GDP, well short of the 3.0% that was committed to in the Lisbon summit of 2002. This stagnation occurs while all of Europe's major competitors – namely the USA (2.7%), Japan (3.4%) and most recently China – continue to invest in their biomedical research programmes. UNESCO data from 2007 shows that China's total R&D investment was one third of that of the entire EU. But continued investment and rising GDP means that China's investment is likely to quadruple by 2020, meaning its total R&D spending will overtake Europe in a few years. European biomedical research could be left behind unless major steps are taken to address this gulf in funding.Yet it is not only how much money we receive, but how we spend that money, that has inspired the creation of the Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe (Biomed Alliance) (see Box 1 for formation of the Alliance). For too long the voices of researchers in Europe have not had sufficient impact on proposed research programmes by the European Union. Such contact has, until now, been sporadic and not produced the desired results on research topics and priorities. Our new Alliance aims to give a single, powerful voice to the European biomedical research community, that aims to increase funding and ensure the correct research priorities are given funding across all biomedical disciplines. BOX 1: Formation of the alliance The Biomed Alliance officially formed at a meeting in Brussels in December 2010, consisting of the four founding societies: the European …