Flemish minister for Science and Innovation Patricia Ceysens asked the Flemish Science Policy Council (VRWB) for its recommendations regarding the extension of translational research in Flanders, taking account of the European and international context. Based on the VRWB's recommendations, and within the budgetary restraints, concrete policy initiatives related to translational research could be launched in the course of 2008-2009. The VRWB had its opinion prepared by a specific ad hoc work group presided by Prof. Roger Bouillon, member of the VRWB's Daily Management.
INTERNATIONALLY HIGH UP ON THE AGENDA
Translational research is internationally high up on the policy agenda:
- The great progress in basic biomedical research has created new opportunities which generate options for better diagnostics, prevention or treatment of patients. Due to this, a growing demand has directly arisen to test this assumption and to validate any added value of the new approach.
- Health care is confronted with expenditure which increases faster than revenues and the world-wide demand for more efficient methods for prevention and treatment is growing due to this.
- Translational research is crucially important for the bio-pharmaceutical industry in order to increase the predictive power of their research. This is necessary for evaluating its research efforts, all the more since this industry is confronted with sharply growing costs in its research. The partner with a well-built translational research system can exercise a strong attractive force on potential investors and realise an economic pay-back effect.
The importance of translational research for the future of Flanders was already apparent from the VRWB exploratory study (VRWB recommendation 29), in which six strategic clusters were presented for Flanders. Two of them are related to health care. Translational research was advanced herewith as one of the thirty priorities which offer opportunities for Flanders in the future.
The importance of translational research was also explicitly stressed in the White Paper of the Round Table on Life Sciences. The Life Sciences Platform, launched at the end of 2005, was a discussion body which had the objective of developing a strategic long term vision for the life science industry in Flanders and - as a result of this vision - of creating the correct conditions in which this industry could develop optimally.
RELATIVELY STRONG STARTING POSITION FOR FLANDERS
Flanders has extensive knowledge competencies in the area of basic biomedical research, an efficient healthcare system and a good international reputation in the domain of clinical research. The sum of these competencies with all concerned actors, as well as the high degree of readiness of the patient to participate in clinical studies gives Flanders a good starting position to undertake translational research, in an international perspective. An international benchmark study of eight countries shows that translational research has been strongly stimulated of late, among others via specific financing channels; construction of infrastructure and expertise centres; creation of specific mandates; public-private collaboration, and the organisation of networking so that a one-counter access is possible for industrial partners. The scope of the recently generated financial resources for translational research is exceptionally large. The amounts for various initiatives are more than 1 billion EUR in the Netherlands for the period 2006-2010 and an additional 1 billion dollars every year in the United States.
In order to further expand translational research in Flanders in the future, a directed policy is necessary to better support existing skills and coordinate with each other, and primarily to eliminate lacunae. An overall multi-year plan is also essential for reinforcing all elements of translational research to remain internationally competitive while adding societal and economic value.
MULTI-YEAR PLAN
Based on an analysis of the current situation in Flanders, and on European and international developments, the VRWB presents a global multiple-year plan for translational research which strengthens all affected actors via an integrated approach and also ensures consultation and harmonisation of all expertise in a new centre for translational research.
Concretely, the following action points are proposed for financing and organising translational research in Flanders, which will create the greatest value addition only when they are executed in an integrated manner:
1. Well-trained researchers and doctor-researchers with sufficient career options
Translational research essentially relies on well-trained doctor-researchers who should be able to make a full-fledged career. Therefore, mandates for fundamental clinical researchers are proposed by the FWO, to be reinforced by (a) enabling a renewal after a positive 5-year evaluation for the entire duration of their career and (b) creating the option to increase the standard 50% exemption for one or more mandate periods.
Even non doctor-researchers should be able to be roped in for translational research, if required, via project, programme financing or via "clinical research centres".
2. Financing of projects as well as programmes, whether or not in collaboration with industry
- Academic (investigator-driven) translational research requires a modified financing system, as in foreign examples. The IWT programme, Applied Biomedical research with primarily Societal finality, was a good start for supporting translational research. However, the current sub-niche definitions need to be flexibly extended in terms of resources as well as duration, if the proposed project justifies the same, and the valorisation conditions should be broadened.
- There is a requirement for programme financing in which collaboration between knowledge institutions mutually, whether or not together with industry, should develop into a long term collaboration which enables building a top position internationally in a limited number of topical domains, which are selected on a competitive basis.
3. Structural financing for Clinical Research Centres (including bio-banking and data management)
Translational research requires good structural financing and the organisation of a limited number of full-fledged "clinical research centres" which will be used for supporting all aspects of translational research such as data management, bio-banking and administrative management. These centres should work as internal and external interchanges in a Flemish (and international) network.
4. Concertation, harmonisation and integration of expertise in a centre for translational research.
Setting up a Flemish centre for translational biomedical research is necessary to ensure the concertation, harmonisation and integration of expertise present in all actors. Such a central structure first ensures network formation of the "clinical research centres" with other research criteria, the bio-pharmaceutical industry, technological companies and government. This centre will be structured as a virtual institution (in most cases initially) under management by a Strategic Council and will track and support all actions which are necessary to extend translational research in Flanders optimally with societal as well as economic value addition.
COST PRICE ANALYSIS
Extending translational research in Flanders requires coordinated global and structured support of this multi-year plan. The global cost price of reinforcing translational research is estimated at about 40 million EUR/year, growing progressively over a period of five years. The international benchmark study shows that this calculation in comparison with similar initiatives in eight countries, even after per capita correction, is cautiously conservative, yet should provide Flanders with good international competitiveness.