Most of the limited public research funds in Italy are distributed through direct negotiation between the national and regional governments (and their administrators) and research institutions or even individual scientists. It is not uncommon to read in newspapers that millions of euros have gone to a research centre or to individual scientists, in the absence of any kind of long-term national strategy, and worse, without any open and public competition for the best proposals.

With a final debate and a vote on four submitted proposals to amend the 'Act ensuring the protection of embryos in connection with the importation and utilization of human embryonic stem cellsⁱ', the Bundestag (lower house of parliament) decided on the future of stem cell research in Germany on 11th April.