The study presented here was conducted at the Institute for Political Science at the University of Heidelberg on behalf of the Federal Minister for Research and Technology. The focus was on what changes German researchers and research funders can expect as the European Community increasingly expands its funding activities in the field of health research. This question is addressed in three steps throughout the study. In the first step, the health research programs of the EC and the institutional structures within which they are developed and implemented are described. In the second step, the significance of the Community's health research programs for health researchers, health research, and the promotion of health research in Germany is analyzed. In the third step...