WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, a Philadelphia Democrat, hopes to spark international progress on brain research by helping create a formal partnership between U.S. and European researchers.
Fattah on Wednesday night announced plans that he said would create "the most significant scientific collaboration ever on brain research."
Fattah said he had been asked to develop a memorandum of understanding to link researchers from the U.S. BRAIN Initiative and the European Union's Human Brain Project.
"Our agreement will help define the future of neuroscience research," he said in a speech after accepting an award from Research America. "I'm certain because of this effort we will see real tangible results, and I'll be here working for that over the next 10 years."
(After the event Fattah spoke to the Inquirer about a subpoena his office has received from federal investigators. More about the subpoena here and the Congressman's response here).
Fattah, the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee that oversees spending on science, has emerged as a vocal champion for brain research. Earlier this year he helped arrange a
» READ MORE: cooperative agreement involving Penn, Temple
and three other institutions – two in New York and one in Israel.
Fattah announced his latest plan at an awards dinner hosted by Research America, a non-profit backed by medical groups and health care companies that urges funding for medical research. He spent part of the evening shaking hands and making dinner plans with medical company executives and renowned researchers, many praising him for pushing for funding for research.
Fattah and the top Republican on the Appropriations subcommittee each received the Edwin C. Whitehead Award for Medical Research Advocacy.
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