Alzheimer Europe has joined other organisations, including the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases and the UK Dementia Research Institute, in calling for greater funding for brain research in the EU’s forthcoming Horizon Europe (2021-2027) research programme. The signatories note that they are “very perplexed and seriously concerned” at the decision not to choose brain health as one of the research mission areas for the first four year of the programme, highlighting that only one was related to health, and that this related only to cancer. It is explained that across Europe, cancer receives approximately 15 times as much funding as dementia.
Despite this disparity, the call notes that within the draft strategic document for Horizon Europe, the word “brain” only appears twice throughout the 109 pages. Furthermore, whilst funding for the Human Brain Project is welcomed, it is explained that the project is limited in scope and additional funding must be made available to allow for study into brain development, function and decline. The authors of the call conclude by stating that if Europe does not prioritise brain research, there is a significant risk that countries such as the USA and China make progress in the field, leaving the EU behind.
