ERS is a founding member of the Alliance for Biomedical Research in Europe (BioMed Alliance), which is a unique initiative representing 17 leading research-oriented medical societies that include more than 200,000 researchers across Europe.

At the recent AGM of the Alliance on 1st December, it was agreed that the next crucial step is to form a Core Group made up of some 10 experts and additional advisers to represent the broad spectrum of stakeholders – researchers, clinical experts, patients and society at large. The Core Group will develop ideas with a view to setting up a "European Council for Health Research". One of the experts selected by the BioMed Alliance Executive Board to be a member of this Core Group is Vice President Peter J Barnes.

The BioMed Alliance has a mission to advance and strengthen biomedical research in Europe, in particular translational research, which is crucial for innovation. Success in biomedical research requires a long-term investment as well as sustainable infrastructures.