Academic calls for cross-disciplinary use of EU funding

A leading Finnish child psychiatrist is to join a major EU health panel.

Professor Tuula Tamminen of the University of Tampere will join Horizon 2020’s Scientific Panel for Health. The Finnish academic is known to have been critical of the use of EU funding in both Finland and internationally and is calling for greater research funding for child and adolescent healthcare.

In comments carried by Finland’s national broadcaster, Yle, Tamminen said: “What we need is scientific information on children’s health, for resources to be properly managed in the best interest of children and adolescents.”

Tamminen said it was important to break down research silos and invest more funds into paediatric research: “Even in terms of funding, research topics have to be defined in a way that makes it possible to combine the viewpoints of different scientific disciplines. Insights into early childhood development have been gained thanks to genetic and brain research … but the information is all very scattered at the moment.”

The new Horizon 2020 health panel comprises 27 members and helps define the priorities of health research and innovation. The board will hold its first meeting in January.