“How to meet the challenge for Europe’s international research cooperation in the field of Neglected Infectious Diseases”

On a global scale, neglected infectious diseases (NID) are responsible for an estimated 500.000 deaths and millions of disabilities each year. Not least linked to the fact that 90% of cases occur in the low income countries, investment in research and development of these diseases has been utterly inadequate. However, there is an increasing awareness of this gap, which has been highlighted in a recent report on major and neglected diseases in developing countries prepared by MEP John Bowis and adopted by the European parliament in 2005. As part of the 6th framework programme (FP 6) and its predecessors, the INCO programme has been one of the few international research funding bodies focussing on the control of NIDs. At present there are 45 active projects with a total budget of € 42 millions in FP6, covering Leishmaniasis, Schistosomiasis, Filariasis, Onchocercosis, Trypanosomiasis, Dengue, Echinoccoccis, Buruli ulcer, childhood infections and others neglected diseases as well health systems and health service issues of disease control.

As the new 7th framework programme (FP7) started in 2007 with an expanded scope on international research cooperation, the conference aims at strengthening and increasing the impact of EU funded international collaborative research on the control of NIDs with the following specific objectives:

1. To discuss future European funding strategies for research on NIDs considering the European Parliament’s recent report and the current international debate on investing in the control of NIDs
2. To develop an agenda for NID related Community funding in FP7.
3. To link EU-funded projects to the wider field of national and international initiatives for NID control

Day 1 of the conference focused on research policy issues (such as raising awareness and accessibility of funding), on funding models such as public-private partnership, and on the accessibility of research findings and their translation into policy.

Day 2 focused on scientific issues, outlining the state of the art and providing a forum for discussing diseases-specific as well as health systems specific research priorities.

The conference was organized with support of the European Parliament’s rapporteur on neglected diseases, MEP John Bowis. It will provide a platform for dialogue between the European and non-European scientific community, policy makers, research managers, representatives of relevant international NGOs, UN bodies and other interested parties.

The conference was organised by the European Commission, Research Directorate General, Directorate International Scientific Cooperation with the support of the European Parliament.