Skip to main content

Archived Comments for: EU-funded malaria research under the 6th and 7th Framework Programmes for research and technological development

Back to article

  1. Importance of sustained & long-term EU funding of malaria drug discovery

    Ian Boulton, TropMed Pharma Consulting / CRIMALDDI Consortium

    15 March 2011

    This paper by Holtel et al. illustrates very clearly the importance of the research work on malaria that the European Union has funded under the FP6 & FP7 Programmes. The CRIMALDDI Consortium (www.crimalddi.eu) would like to compliment the authors on this timely review. Many of its members are involved in one of the ERAs mentioned in the paper (ANTIMAL) and so can speak from personal experience on the value not only of the funding received, but also of how the concept of ERAs has facilitated improved collaboration across Europe. We would like to support the comment in the paper that “EU-funded malaria research may serve as a showcase to demonstrate how ERA formation can successfully be implemented in a given area of science …”

    The discovery of novel antimalarials with new modes of action are increasingly needed to meets the needs of the global drive to eradicate malaria. This is not a short-term process and requires sustained funding over several decades. This is to ensure that there is a continuous supply of drugs both with the right range of profiles needed across all aspects of malaria control and elimination and also to have drugs in hand as an insurance against the development of resistance to agents in widespread use. Similarly, the benefits of collaboration seen with the ERAs and only possible because of the support under FP6 & FP7 need to continue to be nurtured. We would therefore urge the EU to use the opportunity of the upcoming FP8 Programme to build on the success described by Holtel et al. and develop it further to ensure that Europe remains at the forefront of research into malaria and antimalarial drugs.

    The CRIMALDDI Consortium would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the support it has received as a project fully funded by the EU under FP7. It is another example of how EU funding can bring together expertise from around the world to help to develop a research agenda for Europe in the next 5-10 years.

    Ian Boulton & Steve Ward (on behalf of the CRIMALDDI Consortium)

    Competing interests

    As stated in the comment, the CRIMALDDI Consortium is funded by an EU FP7 grant, and several members of the Consortium (including SW) also receive funds from the EU as part of the ANTIMAL ERA.

Advertisement