There is progress at the European level, but things are moving slowly. The European Commission plans to issue a scoping study that will include ME/CFS. Below, you can read an update on our work to get ME/CFS research funded through Horizon Europe, the 95 billion euro research program of the European Union.
Representatives of the European Commission recently announced that they have the intention to launch a scoping study that focuses on under-researched conditions, including (but not limited to) ME/CFS. The tender for the scoping study is currently being prepared by the Commission. They will select a contractor to perform the study and point them to the area of ME/CFS, in order to have it included in the study. The scoping study should map the needs of the field and provide possible solutions for the problems researchers now experience. This could eventually lead to the permanent inclusion of a special category of under-researched illnesses like ME/CFS in future work programs of Horizon Europe, which should help researchers to make progress.
EMEC believes this is a positive step forward. If the proposal of the Commission will proceed as planned and the scoping study is successfully completed this will lead to structural changes and better opportunities for ME/CFS researchers.
It is, however, a solution for the long term. In everyday reality, there is still little change one year after the resolution was adopted by the European Parliament. ME/CFS scientists still haven’t been able to obtain European funding for their research. At the current pace, it won’t be before 2023 until the first call(s) specifically aimed at ME/CFS could be released.
Although we are grateful for the Commission’s plans and understand the difficult circumstances the COVID-19 pandemic created, we believe that more can and should be done. EMEC recently sent a letter to Jean-Eric Paquet, the Director-General for Research and Innovation of the European Commission. This letter, supported by MEP Pascal Arimont and several European ME researchers points out that we believe, that with power and institutional creativity, progress could proceed at a faster pace.
The letter outlines the disparities between the view of the Commission and the reality of ME/CFS researchers. The Commission repeatedly stated that there are ample opportunities for ME/CFS researchers to apply for funding under the current circumstances and believes that the current system is working, while ME/CFS researchers say that although they have repeatedly tried to apply (under the FP7 and Horizon 2020), none of their applications have been approved and no funds have been awarded.
In the meantime, the new Horizon Europe calls have been published and if the Commission is right, ME/CFS research should have a chance to get funded.
There are currently three calls that we believe to be at least partly suitable for ME/CFS research. We have described this more in detail in a separate article.
If you are an ME/CFS researcher and interested in applying, we encourage you to give it a try. If you need help or have any questions, please feel free to contact us via the button below.