No increase in EU stem cell funding

The European Commissioner for Science and Research has said that he will not directly increase European Union (EU) funding for human embryonic stem cell (ES cell) research, even though the money allocated for scientific research as a whole has greatly increased. The proposed Seventh EU Research Framework Programme 2007-2013 (FP7) states that the EU will allocate €67.8 billion to research, which is double current levels.

The Commissioner, Janez Potocnik, unveiled the proposed FP7 at a press conference earlier this month. In December, he stated that EU scientists should be allowed to use left-over IVF embryos for ES cell research purposes. Since that time, according to the Scientist magazine, he has 'toned down his enthusiasm' - his spokeswoman told the magazine that ES cell funding would remain exactly the same as in the Sixth EU Research Framework Programme 2002-2006 (FP6). According to Andrea Mochan, the spokeswoman, 'funding will not be specifically allocated for stem cell research', which will 'again be a small part of total research'.

According to the European Commission's office, the FP6 currently funds 25 stem cell related projects, of which two use human ES cells. The funding for these comes to about €500,000 - less than 0.1 per cent of total EU health research funds and about 0.002 per cent of the FP6 budget. FP6 explicitly prohibits the use of EU funding for research into human reproductive cloning or the creation of embryos for research. It does allow ES cell research to take place on 'supernumerary' embryos (left over from fertility treatments and donated with the explicit consent of the parents). All stem cell projects have to be approved on a case by case basis, and priority is given to research projects using adult stem cells.

Funding for ES cell research was not initially given priority because only two EU countries - the UK and Sweden - allowed the research. Now, out of 25 member nations, more than a dozen allow ES cell research. However, said Mochan, some nations - such as Italy, Germany, Austria, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Luxembourg - have laws prohibiting ES cell research or the funding of it. 'We know there is not a single view about embryonic stem cell research in Europe', she said, adding 'We have to be careful how we use the funds contributed by EU member states'.