Evolution of funding for collaborative health research towards higher-level patient-oriented research. A comparison of the European Union Framework Programmes to the program funding by the United States National Institutes of Health

Abstract: We investigated whether health research funding by the framework programs of the European Union (FP-HR) has moved towards more needs-driven investment, consistent with changes in EU policies, and whether similar changes were present in funding programs of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). To this end, we performed a quantitative analysis of the content of collaborative projects between 2008 and 2023. We used machine learning for classification of projects as basic biomedical, clinical, population, or health policy research. We found that FP-HR funding shifted towards more implementation research. With the exception of the recent NIH-UM1 program, collaborative NIH programs remain predominantly biomedical research. Infectious diseases is an emerging theme. We conclude that demand for solutions for better health care has led to expanded funding for collaborative implementation- and impact-oriented research, at the expense of basic biomedical research. Compared to NIH, the FPs show greater flexibility to adjust their funding portfolios.