ArticleThe Lancet. Global health2020
The allocation of USdollar;105 billion in global funding from G20 countries for infectious disease research between 2000 and 2017: a content analysis of investments.
Article in The Lancet. Global health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
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- Comparing timelines and evidence available to support new TB, HIV, and HCV drug approvals: The same, only different.PloS one · 2022Trial
- Mapping the frontiers of genomic disease surveillance research in the ASEAN region: scientometric insights for precision public health and next-generation epidemic intelligence.Briefings in bioinformatics · 2026Article
- Research intensity for neglected tropical diseases and other infectious diseases before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.Journal of global health · 2026Article
- Research capacity and decolonisation in Sub-Saharan Africa: a bibliometric analysis.BMJ global health · 2026Article
- Global, regional, and national burden of upper respiratory infections in adolescents and young adults: an analysis of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.Journal of thoracic disease · 2026Article
- Perceived barriers for accessing international research funding among Latin American researchers.PloS one · 2026Article
- Beyond DALY: public funding of health innovation in Brazil as a political strategy for equity in the Global South.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Organoids at the forefront of global health: accelerated research and ethical implications in the cases of Zika and COVID-19.Global public health · 2025Article
- Power imbalances in tropical medicine journals: an analysis of editorial board representation.Tropical medicine and health · 2025Article
- Diagnosing and Treating Community-Acquired Pneumonia-A Double-Blind Study?Journal of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada = Journal officiel de l'Association pour la microbiologie medicale et l'infectiologie Canada · 2025Article
- Global funding for surgical research between 2016 and 2020: content analysis of public and philanthropic investments.The British journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Arbovirus Epidemics as Global Health Imperative, Africa, 2023.Emerging infectious diseases · 2025Article
- A 32-year trend analysis of lower respiratory infections in children under 5: insights from the global burden of disease study 2021.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Research and Development of Medical Countermeasures for Emerging Infectious Diseases, China, 1990-2022.Emerging infectious diseases · 2025Article
- Research gaps and priorities for quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA).Risk analysis : an official publication of the Society for Risk Analysis · 2024Article
- Global burden associated with 85 pathogens in 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019.The Lancet. Infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Global health reciprocal innovation: ethical, legal and regulatory considerations.BMJ global health · 2024Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundEach year, billions of US$ are spent globally on infectious disease research and development. However, there is little systematic tracking of global research and development. We present research on investments into infectious diseases research from funders in the G20 countries across an 18-year time period spanning 2000-17, comparing amounts invested for different conditions and considering the global burden of disease to identify potential areas of relative underfunding.
methodsThe study examined research awards made between 2000 and 2017 for infectious disease research from G20-based public and philanthropic funders. We searched research databases using a range of keywords, and open access data were extracted from funder websites. Awards were categorised by type of science, specialty, and disease or pathogen. Data collected included study title, abstract, award amount, funder, and year. We used descriptive statistics and Spearman's correlation coefficient to investigate the association between research investment and disease burden, using Global Burden of Disease 2017 study data.
findingsThe final 2000-17 dataset included 94 074 awards for infectious disease research, with a sum investment of $104·9 billion (annual range 4·1 billion to 8·4 billion) and a median award size of $257 176 (IQR 62 562-770 661). Pre-clinical research received $61·1 billion (58·2%) across 70 337 (74·8%) awards and public health research received $29·5 billion (28·1%) from 19 197 (20·4%) awards. HIV/AIDS received $42·1 billion (40·1%), tuberculosis received $7·0 billion (6·7%), malaria received $5·6 billion (5·3%), and pneumonia received $3·5 billion (3·3%). Funding for Ebola virus ($1·2 billion), Zika virus ($0·3 billion), influenza ($4·4 billion), and coronavirus ($0·5 billion) was typically highest soon after a high-profile outbreak. There was a general increase in year-on-year investment in infectious disease research between 2000 and 2006, with a decline between 2007 and 2017. Funders based in the USA provided $81·6 billion (77·8%). Based on funding per 2017 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), HIV/AIDS received the greatest relative investment ($772 per DALY), compared with tuberculosis ($156 per DALY), malaria ($125 per DALY), and pneumonia ($33 per DALY). Syphilis and scabies received the least relative investment (both $9 per DALY). We observed weak positive correlation (r=0·30) between investment and 2017 disease burden.
interpretationHIV research received the highest amount of investment relative to DALY burden. Scabies and syphilis received the lowest relative funding. Investments for high-threat pathogens (eg, Ebola virus and coronavirus) were often reactive and followed outbreaks. We found little evidence that funding is proactively guided by global burden or pandemic risk. Our findings show how research investments are allocated and how this relates to disease burden and diseases with pandemic potential.
fundingBill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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