Cancer research

Europe needs to double the amount it spends on cancer research, according to a new survey.

The European Cancer Research Funding Survey, funded by the European Commission, has found that EU Member States spend seven times less per person than the US, that there is insufficient funding for preventive and clinical research, and that Europe is weak in its overall support for cancer research, both centrally and at Member State level.

The survey also noted that more than half of European cancer research is funded by the charitable sector, and that there are opportunities for increased collaboration and cooperation both between funders around the EU and between different research disciplines.

'The EU is massively behind the USA in its support of non-commercial cancer research,' said Richard Sullivan, Chair of the European Cancer Research Managers Forum.

‘It would appear that the problem lies both with a lack of central EU funding and with inequality between Member States, with many failing to support cancer researchers adequately in their own countries,' he added.