NEURON – a network of European funding organizations

There is little doubt that the maintenance and restoration of health are highly valued and fundamental to citizens in all countries. Among the many diseases affecting health, brain disorders are major causes for impaired quality of life. According to estimates by the World Health Organization, more than one billion people suffer from disorders of the central nervous system (WHO 2001). In Europe, approximately one-third of all burden of disease is caused by brain diseases (Olesen and Leonardi 2003). With increasing average life-expectancy, especially in highly industrialized countries, and the rapidly growing incidence of neurodegenerative diseases, this percentage will rise even further. Neuroscience research and its translation into diagnostic and therapeutic measures is therefore a high priority. This fact is clearly recognized by health research policy makers and is reflected in the considerable amount of money allocated to the support of neurological and psychiatric research. However, while the cooperation level among research institutions in the various European countries appears satisfactory, clear deficiencies are present with regard to the coordination of respective research funding. Funding activities are fragmented and scattered at national and regional levels, and only few approaches have been made to phase them. Thus, the coordination of national and regional funding programs can improve the efficient use of high but still limited resources and increase their impact. Coordinated funding activities can avoid redundancy, fill gaps, and use synergies. The field of neuroscience research in the global context is highly competitive. Combining the best research groups through coordinated or even joint-funding activities will increase the impact of European neuroscience research. Already existing transnational research collaborations can be strengthened, the formation of new interdisciplinary research consortia initiated and promoted, and the translation of results into health care improved. This will contribute to the creation of a " European Research Area " (ERA). The concept to create a Europe of knowledge and an " internal market " in research was launched at the European Council meeting, Lisbon, 2000, and has underpinned discussions of research policy issues in Europe ever since (see COM 2000, 2001; Sautter et al 2003). Increased networking among European funding bodies is one way to meet the challenge of competition that Europe is facing in biomedical and health research, primarily from the USA and Japan. This idea is the starting point of NEURON (Network of European Funding on Neurological Research), a project initiated by funding agencies and research or health …