CardioScape mapping the cardiovascular funding landscape in Europe.

Aims: The burden of cardiovascular disease is increasing worldwide, which has to be reflected by cardiovascular (CV) research in Europe. CardioScape, a FP7 funded project initiated by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), identified where CV research is performed, how it is funded and by whom. It could be transformed into an on-line and up-to-date resource of great relevance for researchers, funding bodies and policymakers and could be a role model for mapping CV research funding in Europe and beyond. Methods and results: Relevant funding bodies in 28 European Union (EU) countries were identified by a multistep process involving experts in each country. Projects above a funding threshold of 100 k€ during the period 2010-2012 were included using a standard questionnaire. Results were classified by experts and an adaptive text analysis software to a CV-research taxonomy, integrating existing schemes from ESC journals and congresses. An on-line query portal was set up to allow different users to interrogate the database according to their specific viewpoints. Conclusion: CV-research funding varies strongly between different nations with the EU providing 37% of total available project funding and clear geographical gradients exist. Data allow in depth comparison of funding for different research areas and led to a number of recommendations by the consortium. CardioScape can support CV research by aiding researchers, funding agencies and policy makers in their strategic decisions thus improving research quality if CardioScape strategy and technology becomes the basis of a continuously updated and expanded European wide publicly accessible database.

Economics of chronic diseases protocol: cost-effectiveness modelling and the future burden of non-communicable disease in Europe.

BACKGROUND: The majority of chronic disease is caused by risk factors which are mostly preventable. Effective interventions to reduce these risks are known and proven to be applicable to a variety of settings. Chronic disease is generally developed long before the fatal outcome, meaning that a lot of people spend a number of years in poor health. Effective prevention measures can prolong lives of individuals and significantly improve their quality of life. However, the methods to measure cost-effectiveness are a subject to much debate. The Economics of Chronic Diseases project aims to establish the best possible methods of measuring cost-effectiveness as well as develop micro-simulation models apt at projecting future burden of chronic diseases, their costs and potential savings after implementation of cost-effective interventions. METHOD: This research project will involve eight European countries: Bulgaria, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and the United Kingdom (UK). A literature review will be conducted to identify scientific articles which critically review the methods of cost-effectiveness. Contact will be made health economists to inform and enrich this review. This evidence will be used as a springboard for discussion at a meeting with key European stakeholders and experts with the aim of reaching a consensus on recommendations for cost-effectiveness methodology. Epidemiological data for coronary heart disease, chronic kidney disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be collected along with data on time trends in three major risk factors related to these diseases, specifically tobacco consumption, blood pressure and body mass index. Economic and epidemiological micro-simulation models will be developed to asses the future distributions of risks, disease outcomes, healthcare costs and the cost-effectiveness of interventions to reduce the burden of chronic diseases in Europe. DISCUSSION: This work will help to establish the best methods of measuring cost-effectiveness of health interventions as well as test a variety of scenarios to reduce the risk factors associated with selected chronic diseases. The modelling projections could be used to inform decisions and policies that will implement the best course of action to curb the rising incidence of chronic diseases.