European funding for reproduction research—A multinational perspective

Funds from the European Union are not the only source available to the continent's reproductive research community. Each country independently sponsors the work of these scientists, but, as illustrated by snapshots in the following pages, there are huge differences in the commitment of the various European nations to tackle the challenges of reproductive biomedicine.

Research in reproductive biology in Spain has increased in the past decade in accordance with the clinical impact of the field, as measured by the number of in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics and IVF cycles performed in the country. The Spanish Fertility Society Registry reports that in 2004, a total of 38,886 IVF procedures in 116 IVF centers were performed, corresponding to 10% of the total number of cycles reported in Europe.

Neither the Spanish Ministries of Health and of Science and Innovation nor the local governments earmark specific funding for reproductive biology. Nevertheless, the cost of the research projects in reproductive biology currently funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation in 2006–2007 is ∼ €2.5 million, funds for approximately 20 projects every year.

Private funding, in turn, comes largely from Merck-Serono and Schering-Plough, which every year provide €20,000 for one two-year project through the Fundación Salud 2000 and €30,000 for an international award, respectively.

Lastly, reproductive biology is represented in Spain by three national societies— Sociedad Española de Fertilidad (SEF), Asociación Española de la Biología de la Reproducción and Sociedad Española de Reproducción Animal—but their financial input is small. SEF provides ∼ €12,000 per year for research funding.

A search of the Spanish papers published between 2004 and 2008 in the 25 journals indexed in the ISI Web of Knowledge within the category 'Reproductive Biology' discloses 823 publications (∼164 peer-reviewed papers per year). Basic research comes from universities and academic institutions, whereas most clinical investigation originates in IVF clinics. Translational research, which requires both basic and clinical expertise, is being done through foundations set up by the most important reproductive centers. In this regard, the Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad Foundation, which has invested €500,000 per year in research, is worthy of mention, as it has produced approximately 20% of the 823 papers mentioned above.

The prospects of research on reproductive biology in Spain look promising. Teaching initiatives are flourishing, and Spain offers six master's programs in reproductive biology in different regions of the country. In addition, Spanish law has taken one of the most liberal stances in Europe, allowing for research involving human embryos. These circumstances, plus the volume and impact of Spanish research in reproduction, allows one to be optimistic about the future of this discipline in our country.