EC invites ME/CFS researchers to compete for grants

The European ME Coalition reports:

“More than 2 years after the adoption of the ME/CFS resolution, the European Commission has finally taken an initiative to support research on ME/CFS.

The Horizon Europe work program 2023-2024 includes a call on “tackling high-burden for patients, under-researched medical conditions.”

This call gives ME/CFS researchers improved opportunities to compete for a big European grant but no funding on ME/CFS has been ensured yet.

This article provides an overview of what has been decided by the Commission and which steps still need to be taken to get tangible results for ME/CFS patients…

The call has a total budget of €25 million. It aims to fund 4 projects that will receive 6 to 7 million euros each… If ME/CFS researchers could successfully submit a project, this call can give a significant boost to research on ME/CFS in Europe.

The funding amount, however, will likely be split among multiple collaborators. An application requires researchers from minimally 3 different EU countries and many European grants include even larger consortia. Researchers from the UK and the US can join in to become partners and receive funding under this call.    Find out more

ME Research UK: New EU Horizon for ME/CFS Research?

The EU’s initiative opens the door to increased funding for ME/CFS research but the monies on offer are not ring-fenced and so ME/CFS research applications will need to compete with diseases equally deserving of research.

There is no guarantee that ME/CFS research will be funded at all despite the calls of the EU Parliament in their Resolution. Progress has been made but outcomes are awaited.