On March 6th, DSW organised a seminar on Excellence in R&D for Global Health in the European Parliament in the framework of a five-day conference, hosted by the European Parliament, on "EU Science: Global Challenges, Global Collaboration". The seminar served to showcase avenues for excellence in research and product development for global health, created through successful models of collaboration and pooling of resources.
Maria da Graça Carvalho, MEP and Rapporteur for the Specific Programme Implementing the next EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation - "Horizon 2020", chaired the seminar. In her opening speech, Ms Carvalho reiterated the determination of the European Parliament to secure a Horizon 2020 budget that will come as close as possible to the original European Commission proposal of 80 billion euro. MEP Carvalho went on to say of the Horizon 2020 draft proposal "health is the biggest societal challenge. The European Parliament aims to keep it that way" noting that "poverty-related and neglected diseases are important to the European Parliament and I hope that stakeholders can continue their work, even in a greater way".
The session was successful in looking at how research and development funding instruments, such as Horizon 2020 generate opportunities to expand and accelerate R&D for Poverty-related and Neglected Diseases by rewarding scientific excellence and fostering the collaboration between partners with distinct areas of expertise and capacities.
The expert panel consisted of: Professor Bruno Gryseels, Director of the Institute of Tropical Medicine at Antwerp, Dr Elisabetta Vaudano, Principal Scientific Manager at the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), Dr Line Matthiessen, Head of Unit for Infectious Diseases and Public Health in the European Commission's Directorate for Research and Innovation, Dr Theodore Papazoglou, Head of Unit, Support to the European Research Council (ERC) Scientific Council, ERC Executive Agency, Dr Filippo Randazzo, Deputy Director for Global Health Discovery and Translational Science at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Sally Ethelston, Director of Communications and Advocacy at the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI). The subsequent discussion was moderated by Karen Hoehn, Vice Executive Director, DSW.
DSW - Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung is an international development and advocacy organisation that focuses on development programmes, advocacy, and awareness raising. Our mission is to empower young people and communities in low- and middle-income countries by addressing issues of population dynamics and by improving health as a way to achieve sustainable development. Headquartered in Hanover, DSW has country offices in Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, as well as liaison offices in Berlin and Brussels.