Germany to fund clinical studies with 30 million euro
Some 30 million euro will be made available for clinical studies in Germany between now and 2008. The money will be provided by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research and the German Research Foundation (DFG). 'Clinical studies are indispensable in order to be able to transfer research results into use for the further development of prevention, diagnosis and therapies,' reads a statement by the German ministry. Funding from the new programme will enable researchers to carry out scientifically driven clinical studies rather than commercially motivated projects. A particular characteristic of the studies funded under this programme will be their multicentricity. It is intended that know-how will be passed on to various German university clinics, enabling them to carry out clinical studies on an international level. The programme represents one of many initiatives in Germany to strengthen clinical research. Since 1998, the ministry has funded the establishment of 'coordination centres for clinical studies' at 12 medical faculties, while a number of Networks of Competence in medicine were created in 1999 and funded with 225 million euro. Total investment in clinical research in the last ten years by the ministry amounts to around 400 million euro. Under the new programme, the ministry will fund studies on pharmacological therapy trials and meta analyses including systematic reviews of clinical studies. The DFG will fund clinical studies on non-pharmacological therapies, phase 1-3 diagnostic studies, prognosis studies and controlled studies on secondary prevention.
Countries
Germany