The Research Investments in Global Health (RESIN) study is an analysis of global investments in health research, and is based at the University of Southampton.
Our new paper, published in Lancet Global Health (Sept 2020)
Head MG et al. The Allocation of US$ 105 Billion in Global Funding for Infectious Disease Research between 2000 and 2017: An Analysis of Investments from Funders in the G20 Countries. The Lancet Global Health. 2020.
Of particular relevance to the COVID-19 pandemic, we show that research funding is reactive to public health emergencies, so money follows outbreaks of Ebola, Zika, Coronaviruses with very little in the way of proactive horizon scanning. Thus clear evidence/lessons there for how we could move forward from here (e.g. push pandemic planning further up the research agenda).
We also show what diseases are relatively well funded compared to their burden of disease and so highlight clearly under-funded areas, which include pneumonia, scabies and syphilis. There has been a broad decline in funding for infectious disease research since 2011, despite large sums being awarded for research on Zika and Ebola during and after the respective public health emergencies. Around 11% of the funding has a focus on low- and lower-middle income countries. The USA (and in particular the US NIH) is by far the biggest funder.
The discussion points from our paper are for all the global health community to come together to try and solve (so not intended as a blame point for funders or any other stakeholder). With there being limited resources to spend on all health research, it is vital that funding is distributed as equitably as possible, and there are many factors that influence funding decisions. Our data can help to underpin and inform decision-making and priority-setting.
Other new outputs for 2020 include:
A global analysis of infectious disease research funding, covering 94000 awards and $105 billion of funding. See the pre-print paper (under peer-review as of April 2020).
A COVID-19 R&D funding dashboard. See the dedicated webpage, which will be continuously updated as funding decisions are announced.
RESIN has previously received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, University of Southampton and the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
See the publications page for our numerous published outputs, and also the about RESIN page for our activity when informing government, funding agencies, policymakers, research institutions and individual researchers.
To find out more about the people on the RESIN team click here
How we can help you.
RESIN has significant expertise in mapping R&D portfolios and research investment, across all areas of health, and with both a UK and international focus. We have an existing dataset of >100k individual research awards from the public and charitable sector, and developed innovative methodology that provides a granular approach for reviewing R&D portfolios. We have previously carried out consultancy for, and been contracted by, high-level global health stakeholders including the World Health Organisation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the UK National Institute for Health Research. Alongside our award-winning bespoke report designs, RESIN analyses have been published in high-impact research journals, including The Lancet, BMJ and Nature journals, and invited to present at stakeholders including the WHO, Wellcome Trust, and European Commission.
We can provide in-depth customised intelligence on your R&D landscape or portfolio of interest. Who is investing in these areas, where are the skills and expertise, where are the research strengths and gaps in knowledge, and what are the current and future R&D priorities. We also have extensive experience of global health research, covering health policy, public health, governance and epidemiology, and a wealth of influential contacts across the academic, clinical and advocacy sectors in global health.