ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research is proud of its role in supporting research on the effects of alcohol on health and behavior during a time when our understanding of these effects has evolved tremendously.  As ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary, it is tempting to focus all of our attention on the many accomplishments of the Foundation.  We have much to celebrate and many achievements, such as supporting over 450 investigators who have helped to shape today’s research agenda.  These investigators have acknowledged Foundation support for more than 1,800 publications, a fact that is particularly notable in light of our relatively small budget.  Even with its modest budget, the Foundation has been able to identify leaders and future leaders in the world of alcohol research.

Rather than concentrating on what we have accomplished, the time is right to focus on what is possible to accomplish in the next 25 years.  When the visionary group of leaders in the brewing industry and academic medicine met to establish the ABMRF, they were uncertain not only about whether a small organization could make an impact in achieving better understanding of how alcohol affects health and behavior, but also whether such a small organization could even survive.  The concept of having an organization supported by an industry closely connected to the very problems that it sought to investigate had not been successfully tested before the creation of ABMRF.  In the beginning, many were concerned that the foundation might lack independence in selecting research studies to support or that the brewing industry would be willing to support only those studies that presented favorable results regarding consumption of alcohol.  Fortunately, twenty-five years of experience has demonstrated that neither of these concerns has materialized. 

Through collaborating with leaders in the field of alcohol research and by maintaining a firm commitment to having the Advisory Councils decide independently about which grants to fund based on scientific merit alone, the Foundation has supported a broad range of topics in biomedical, social and behavioral research.  Throughout the last 25 years, those companies and individuals who have supported ABMRF have done so with only the promise that the sponsored studies would be conducted according to the highest standards of research and that the results would be published so that any findings might become part of the public domain.   Fortunately, their commitment has continued with no concern expressed about the results that have been published by investigators supported by the Foundation.

The world of research is full of unknowns—obstacles to overcome, techniques to be mastered, interpretation of results that are surprising or puzzling.  Yet, the possibility that the results can be used for better understanding of health and illness is what drives researchers to dedicate their time and talent to pursuing the world of unknowns.  The individual investigators who believe passionately in the need to understand how drinking alcoholic beverages affects the health and behavior of our society are the reason for the success of ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research.  Their achievements bring credit to the Foundation and in turn to those who have confidently supported their efforts.   We are all proud of their efforts which have been recognized not only by the many publications but also by receipt of many awards for excellence given by the Research Society on Alcoholism, the premier group that represents those with an interest in research related to alcohol. 

The field of alcohol research is facing many challenges.  Most are not unique to alcohol but are similar to those facing biomedical and behavioral research in other disciplines.  As federal funding for research reached a plateau in recent years after a period of rapid growth, many capable investigators were unable to get funds to sustain their research.  The cutbacks caused even greater problems for the younger investigators who had not yet received funding for their projects.  These changes have been a subject of national debate, but as yet no clear decision has emerged about the future of biomedical and behavioral research in this country.  The Foundation has always maintained an emphasis on fostering the careers of young investigators by identifying the most promising ones and providing support at an early stage of their careers.  Many of them, who have gone on to become successful and established in alcohol research have commented about the importance of this early support to their long-term success.

The Foundation takes great satisfaction in our steady resource management over the years.  Because of the greater returns from the financial markets since 2001, we have been able to put income from our investments back to work in supporting research. Our Reserve Fund has enabled us to continue supporting the same number of grants despite an overall increase in the costs associated with operations and the costs of research.  Unfortunately, alcohol research remains under-funded in comparison with many other areas such as cancer and heart disease that have a large base of support from the general population.  The group of investigators whom we have traditionally supported in past years is even more in need of support today.  Everyone agrees that the young and promising investigators need more support.   

After thorough discussion over the past two years, the Board of Trustees approved a plan to expand the resources of the Foundation beyond the traditional support from major brewing companies in the United States and Canada.   Although there are many unknowns associated with this decision, the trustees agreed that now is the time for this effort because of the increasing level of need in the research community and the incredible promise of success that appears to be on the horizon.  Despite the challenges associated with an ambitious plan such as this one, the benefits to society far exceed the actual dollar amounts of the additional contributions that we seek.  Part of the mission of ABMRF/The Foundation for Alcohol Research is to see that young investigators committed to alcohol research have the opportunity to fulfill the promise of their ideas. 

Mack C. Mitchell, Jr., M.D.
Taken from the 2007 Annual Report