Some of the world's top neurodegenerative disease experts gathered in Stockholm, Sweden on 15 April to start working on a pan-European research agenda that will guide the work of the new Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND). The JPND is the first Joint Programming initiative to get underway, and its launch marks a step change in the way research is funded and coordinated in Europe.

Currently, just 15% of public research funds in the EU are administered at the European level; the remaining 85% is handed out through numerous national programmes. Although many of these national schemes share much in common, there is hardly any coordination between them.

The aim of Joint Programming is to link up national schemes tackling issues that are of European or global importance. By pooling resources, the programmes will reduce duplication and make research more efficient. Countries join the programmes on an entirely voluntary basis; the European Commission's role is to facilitate and coordinate activities.

Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases form the focus of the first Joint Programming scheme, and 24 European countries have already signed up to the initiative. Treating neurodegenerative diseases already costs European health services some EUR 72 billion annually. That is why European parliament called for joint EU action on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's last november.

There are few treatments for these conditions and those that are available tend to treat the symptoms rather than the underlying cause. Many of these diseases are linked to age, and the proportion of the European population aged over 65 is likely to rise to 25% by 2030 (from 16% today). The incidence of these conditions, as well as the social and financial costs of treating them, is therefore likely to rise in the coming years.

The aim of the Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND) is to rapidly enhance our understanding of the causes of neurodegenerative diseases. As well as providing doctors with tools to diagnose and treat these conditions from the earliest stages, the JPND should also result in better medical and social care systems for both patients and their carers.

The JPND's Management Board is already in place, and the Scientific Advisory Board, which comprises 15 experts from the fields of basic, clinical and social/healthcare research, will meet for the first time in Stockholm.