Scientific societies and biomedical research.

The role of scientific societies in the promotion of biomedical research is becoming increasingly important, particularly when the political and financial situations across Europe (and the world) are facing unprecedented challenges. The whole field of biomedical research in Europe is therefore in a difficult position, considering that research is usually one of the first victims of global crisis. Some signs are already quite visible. Indeed, funding and support for research are far below that which has long been promised and is needed for sustained European competitiveness and innovations in biomedicine. The commitment by the European Union (EU) in 2002 (Barcelona Declaration) to gradually increase the share that the EU dedicates to research and development (R&D) to 3% of its gross domestic product (GDP) by 2010 has not been fulfilled. Currently the EU budget for research amounts to only 1.8% of its GDP. Furthermore, statistics recently published by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization showed that from 2002 to 2007 European investment had stagnated. This is clearly in contrast with the main European competitors, the United States (US) or Japan, who dedicate 2.7% and 3.4%, respectively, of GDP to R&D. In addition, China is investing massively in R&D, with a 160% increase in investment between 2002 and 2007, representing 1.75% of GDP, and a plan to increase to 2.2% of GDP by 2015. Adequate funding is, therefore, critical for continued advancement in cardiovascular disease research. As an example of disparities, Framework Programme 7, the main European Program for Research Grants, receives 6 billion Euros, some 10% of the total 2008–2013 research budget. By comparison, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget was approximately $30 billion in 2008, with about $3 billion directed toward the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the institute most directly involved with cardiovascular research. An important consideration that is also increasingly relevant is to assess the return on investment, which can be looked at in different ways. One of them is certainly in terms of the quality and quantity of research publications that originate from the funded research, particularly the ones in high impact journals, which in the end will have much wider visibility and potential impact. In a recent study Lyubarova et al. assessed the impact of NIH funding on published US cardiovascular disease