Stronger European medical research

doi:10.1136/bmj.39489.505208.80

BMJ 2008;336:341-342 (16 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.39489.505208.80

Editorials

Stronger European medical research

Needs investment in people, not simply more money

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

How can Europe produce medical research that will best increaseits citizens’ health and its countries’ wealth?This debate will run on and on, of course, but a new white paperfrom the European Medical Research Councils (EMRC) providesimportant evidence on funding and conducting effective, relevant,and world beating research (box 1).¹ Summing up the white paperin Frankfurt last month, Professor Liselotte Højgaard,EMRC chair, quoted British physiologist Ernest Starling’sadvice to the British Research Council in the 1920s, "get thebest of men, give them the equipment you can afford, and leavethem alone."

Box 1 European Medical Research Councils’ recommendationsfor strengthening medical research in Europe

Implementationof best practice for funding and performing medical research—withdistribution of funding based on excellence and evaluated bypeer review
Strengthened collaboration and coordination ofmedical research in Europe through the EMRC and its membershiporganisations, via the European Commission, the European ResearchCouncil, and the learned medical societies
Revision of European. . . [Full text of this article]

Box 2 European Medical Research Councils’ tool box: "bestpractice" for medical research in Europe

Primary goals
Tools to reach thesegoals: people
Tools toreach these goals: research infrastructure
Tools to reach these goals: research funding
Tools to reach these goals: societal means

Trish Groves, deputy editor

¹ BMJ

tgroves@bmj.com

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BMJ 2008 336: 287-288. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]