Tremendous progress has been made in biomedical research in genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, which has led to an increasing insight into molecular mechanisms related to diseases. Yet the output of disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment solutions remains low. It is against this background that several European countries have gathered to take new actions for improving translational research from bench to bedside. Surveys were conducted to identify major bottlenecks and assess the situation of translational research in Europe. While the importance of translational research is already recognized and national governments have increased their efforts and academia more and more directs its research towards translation, there are still hurdles to overcome. Thus, a European research infrastructure—EATRIS—will be established to integrate basic and clinical research in dedicated translational centres. These EATRIS Centres will provide broad access to high-end pre-clinical and clinical facilities, including the necessary translational expertise for researchers from academia and industry.