European Research and International ME Conference Week
Five years ago, we described the initiatives and achievements of the charity in fostering
European collaboration among researchers, clinicians,
and patients [1].
The pandemic paused the bi-annual clinicians' meetings that had been continuing in London; and
it was 2023 before we implemented the fourth pillar of our strategy: an
early career researcher network ( two annual international ECR
workshops having already been performed).
This year's International ME Conference Week will unite these elements, featuring European and international researchers, clinicians, and early career researchers, and including our European ME patient group/charity colleagues.
This article revisits briefly the charity's initiatives to establish European networks to advance research and treatment of ME and build capacity, in collaboration with European patient organisations.
Our International ME Conference Week proves we have the networks already.
Also news of conference Week 2026
Though the DHSC plan for ME (2022-2024) achieved nothing of significance
[4]
it did allow us to propose to the researchers involved in the research working group
to join together to form a common effort to fund centres of excellence
- and also join EMERG and develop European research plans together. We were glad that
some of the researchers accepted.
We hope others will follow and develop further these networks, and the conference week events will facilitate this.
Thanks to our supporters, these European initiatives will have a presence
during the conference week in May -
with EMERG/EMECC researchers and clinicians from eleven European countries involved in the colloquium; Young EMERG
members in the early-career researcher workshop, and European ME Alliance partners at our conference.
Registration for this year's #IIMEC17 conference is now open.
#IIMEC17 Registration
...and for 2026 - dates announced
As a mark of continued commitment to these initiatives,
and to international collaboration, Invest in ME Research has already set dates
for International ME Conference Week 2026 -
This will also be the twentieth anniversary of the charity being formed - and twenty years since our very first conference.
European Infrastructure Development
To treat and cure ME, infrastructure and funding are crucial. Pan-European projects maximise research capacity, especially necessary due to the limited resources.
Over the past decade, Invest in ME Research and supporters have built a foundation for sustainable research, recognising the need for self-initiated efforts due to lack of official support.These initiatives were developed to expedite progress in research and treatment of ME producing a powerful combination of campaigning and raising of awareness, building new research and accumulation of data based on collaboration, and sharing of experiences and knowledge, building up a strategy of high-quality research into ME.
European ME Research Group (EMERG)
EMERG : Was initiated to bring together European ME researchers to advance understanding of the Aetiology, Pathogenesis and Epidemiology of ME. Applications for funding were made and are ongoing.
Many of the researchers have been meeting for years in the Invest in ME Research International Biomedical Research into ME Colloquiums events that have fostered collaboration, built new ideas and shared knowledge.
The BRMEC* colloquiums are now moderated by the EMERG team.
European ME Clinicians Council (EMECC)
Invest in ME Research formed the European ME Clinicians Council (EMECC) in collaboration with leading European clinicians who were involved in treating people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.
This followed an American initiative that was started by Dr Lucinda Bateman and Mary Dimmock.
The inaugural meeting brought together clinicians in the field of ME to review the current state of knowledge, to present and discuss the latest initiatives, and to foster collaboration - and crucially interact with European researchers in EMERG. The bi-annual meetings were paused due to the pandemic and now are included in the annual BRMEC* colloquiums.
European ME Alliance (EMEA)
EMEA is a coalition of European organisations supporting ME patients and advocating for biomedical research funding.
Invest in ME Research was one of the founder members of the EMEA and the Alliance recently received accreditation by the World Health Organisation.
Young EMERG (YEMERG)
Young EMERG (YEMERG): Encourages young and early career researchers to engage in ME research, building capacity and facilitating European and international collaboration.
Young EMERG brings together the new wave of researchers to form a European support base that can facilitate collaboration with early career investigators in other continents.
Summary
The foundations are already in place to advance science and provide the promise of better treatment and possible restoration of function and lives back to a section of the community who have received very little help in the past.
We welcome support to find the cause of this disease and develop effective treatments to permit patients to regain their lives.
Please Support Us
Further Reading
- European Infrastructure Development
- Chairman's Welcome Message #IIMEC17
- EMEA web site
- EMERG web site
- EMECC web site
- DHSC Epilogue - Recommendations and Future Direction
- The Invest in ME Research “Ian Gibson” Fellowship
- Invest in ME Research LunaNova Fellowship
- Quadram Institute Research
- Invest in ME Research - Effectively Energising ME Research
- BRMEC14 Colloquium 2025
Last Update April 2025