European public health research fragmented, survey finds

There is a lack of coherence throughout public health research in Europe, it has emerged.

According to a recent survey of health and science ministries in 25 EU countries and 3 EEA countries, there are significant variations in the way public health priorities are drawn up.

“There is no common approach to support for public-health research across Europe, and significant gaps in organisation and funding,” the report says.

A total of twelve ministries were only able to identify as research priorities, “thematic areas with no additional information.”

In addition, six of the ministries surveyed had “no specific process” with which to identify research priorities.

The availability and management of funding for public health research was also unclear, with only two countries able to state the allocation to public-health research within their ministry's annual budget.

 “...finance for public-health research was generally not explicitly linked to national health-plans, and thus to priorities/needs in action,” the report says.

The survey was carried out as part of the EU-funded SPHERE (Strengthening Public Health Research in Europe) project.

Common priorities for research and effective, targeted funding is however necessary to tackle the wider social and economic determinants which lead to health inequalities.

A WHO report on health inequalities said that part of the solution must involve common research objectives among national funding bodies.

 “There is a need for international collaboration to ensure knowledge accumulation and to prevent unnecessary duplication of effort,” the WHO report says.

Furthermore, the WHO stresses that the scope of research must be broader than it has been.

“Creating the organizational space and capacity to act effectively on health inequity... requires a stronger focus on social determinants in public health research,” the report adds. 

You can find the SPHERE survey at this website.

The WHO report on health inequalities can be downloaded from here.

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