Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:

“Dementia afflicts 7 million Europeans and 30 million people worldwide. The UK plays host to the world’s leading dementia researchers – who have already done so much to further our understanding of the condition – but they are hampered by a lack of funding. EU countries must not only pool resources, but substantially increase their investment as scientists race for a cure.”

Prof John Hardy FRS, Scientific Adviser to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, and one of the top five most cited dementia scientists in the world, said:

“Europe has a responsibility to support world-leading dementia research. Alzheimer’s and other dementias cost the UK economy alone £17 billion per year.

“The US spends more on research, but British scientists are more productive per government pound invested than their American counterparts.”

Prof Julie Williams, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Alzheimer’s Research Trust, said:

“Yesterday the health minister Phil Hope said that dementia research should receive a greater portion of the UK’s medical research budget. We look forward to this coming to fruition.

“The Medical Research Council deserves praise for its pivotal role in supporting European dementia research initiatives. New international collaborations will help the utilise recent discoveries and its outstanding science base, as we learn more about dementia. With the right support, we can produce new treatments, preventions and even cures for this devastating set of diseases.”