Europe funds R&D (research and development) programme:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The European Parliament has endorsed a compromise version of the fifth framework programme on research spending in the EU, following a final round of conciliation talks between the Parliament and the Council. The final budget has been set at ECU14.96 billion ($16.7 billion), an increase of 4.6%, with the largest sectoral increase (42%) going to the biosciences. Parliament rejected an attempt by the Greens to refuse funding for research based on using foetal tissues and pre-implantation diagnosis "until the ethical issues have been fully and publicly evaluated".