29 May 2026 | Invest in ME Research | #IIMEC18
Twenty years, and the work continues
The 2026 International ME Conference Week marked twenty years since Invest in ME Research first brought together clinicians, scientists and patient advocates to advance the case for serious biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. What began as a small gathering has grown, year by year, into one of the foremost international forums for ME research - this year again drawing researchers and clinicians from more than twenty countries and the only five-day conference week in the world dedicated to myalgic encephalomyelitis research.
The conference week comprised the Young EMERG early
career researcher workshop, the European ME Research Group AGM to discuss planned pan-European research,
the 15th Biomedical Research into ME Colloquium (#BRMEC15), and the 18th International ME Conference (#IIMEC18).
Another meeting that was added was a project meeting for a team
with expertise or interest in clinical trials.
Together they
reflect what two decades of steady, determined work by a UK charity have helped to build: a genuine international research
community, a family of researchers and clinicians, with the science to show for it.
That this year's conference should open with an address from the WHO Regional Director for Europe is, in its own way, a
measure of the distance travelled.
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WHO Europe Regional Director delivers opening address at the 18th Invest in ME Research International ME Conference
#IIMEC18 | 29 May 2026 | Invest in ME Research
Dr Hans Kluge, Regional Director of the World Health Organization for Europe, delivered the opening address at the 18th Invest in ME Research International ME Conference (#IIMEC18) on 29 May 2026. #IIMEC18 forms the culminating public day of the International ME Conference Week, organised by UK charity Invest in ME Research, and this year marks the charity's twentieth anniversary.
In his address, Dr Kluge was unequivocal about the nature of the disease:
"ME is a serious, complex, multi-system physical illness, involving neurological, immune, and metabolic dysfunction."
Dr Kluge also affirmed that ME is classified as a neurological disease under the WHO International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11, code 8E49), and called on countries to adopt this classification consistently, so that the true scale of the condition is properly recorded. He stressed that people living with ME deserve to be believed, to receive an accurate diagnosis, and to have access to appropriate care and support - noting that such provision is consistent with countries' obligations under the WHO Constitution, the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
His address acknowledged the burden carried by people with ME - many of whom were healthy and active before becoming ill and now live with severe limitations to their health, education, work, and independence. He noted that progress depends on research and on clinicians and scientists working together, and commended the collaboration represented by the conference week: between Invest in ME Research, the European ME Research Group, patient organisations, and the wider research community.
Dr Kluge also welcomed the participation of members of the Young European ME Research Group in WHO Europe's Youth4Health initiative, which embeds the voices and perspectives of young people into health policy across WHO Europe's 53 Member States.
Dr Kluge's full video address is available at: www.investinme.org/iimec18-hanskluge.shtml
Notes to editors
Invest in ME Research (UK Charity No. 1153730) is an independent charity dedicated to funding and facilitating biomedical research into Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Founded in September 2005, and registered as a charity in 2006, Invest in ME Research has spent twenty years funding science, convening international researchers and clinicians, and advocating and working to ensure ME receives the serious biomedical attention it warrants. The charity organises the annual International ME Conference Week, which this year comprised five events over five days and brought together participants from more than twenty countries. The first crowdfunded PhD and fellowships for ME were initiated by the charity and its supporters, who are now also funding a UK clinical trial from ME at the centre for ME in Norwich Research Park.
Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge is a Belgian physician and public health expert serving as WHO Regional Director for Europe, a post he has held since 2020 and began a second term in on 1 February 2025.
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