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Europe ‘puts own interests before global health’

Images: Images Money [CC BY 2.0], via Flickr

Paper claims researchers in low-income countries should not get hopes up about Horizon Europe

Health researchers in low- and middle-income countries should not get their hopes up about Horizon Europe, which focuses primarily on domestic issues, European researchers have warned.

The researchers, who are affiliated to various institutions in Europe as well as the Africa Health Research Institute in Durban, South Africa, published their take on Horizon Europe on 1 October in BMJ Global Health.

‘LMIC’ was mentioned only once in Horizon Europe’s health framework, compared to 14 mentions for ‘industrial competitiveness’ and 67 for ‘industry’. This, the authors say, “clearly shows that that the EU’s paramount concern for [health research and innovation] is economic”.

They write: “European industrial competitiveness continues to play a paramount role, with global health research needs and relevant research for LMICs being only partially addressed.”

In addition, they write, funding for health research has decreased in Horizon Europe from its predecessor, Horizon 2020. In the latter, €8 billion (US$8.8bn) was reserved for health. In the successor programme this has decreased to €7.7bn, despite an increase in overall funding for the programme.

Given Africa’s strength in health research, the analysis presented in the paper conflicts with predictions made by others, who think that Africa could get more funding from Horizon Europe than from its predecessors.

Analysts from the European Centre for Development Policy Management have suggested that Africa might net more research funding under Horizon Europe in general, but that Europe-Africa research relationships must change to recognise African excellence and the challenges of the continent. South Africa had the fifth highest representation in Horizon 2020 projects among countries outside of the EU that do not have association agreements.  

The paper’s researchers recommend specialised funding calls in Horizon Europe that target developing country researchers. They also want an expansion of support for existing collaborations such as the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership.

“In order to devise global solutions to global problems, cooperation not only needs to involve LMICs but also extend beyond research institutions to civil society and governments,” they say.