Addressing inequalities and research funding in the post-COVID-19 era

Abstract

The panelist will provide insights on how a charitable foundation focused on health research assess priorities to tackle global health challenges. The Wellcome Trust is also a member of the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund (GHIT), which funds R&D for anti-infectives and diagnostics for diseases primarily affecting developing countries. COVID-19, related comorbidities, and their overall impact affect communities across the world. Global collaboration and real-time sharing on pathogen surveillance, sharing data/samples is key to ensure equitable access, particularly as the effects of COVID-19 are not be felt evenly across the world's population. Furthermore, the effects of mental health problems, escalating infectious diseases and COVID-19, can devastate communities for generations. It is important to consider both cross-country, as well as intra-country variations, and set clear priorities for LMICs, as well as for vulnerable groups and those most at risk in developed countries. Coalescing priorities and capturing narratives are key elements into brokering dialogue and establishing innovative partnerships to overcome long-standing and emerging challenges. At the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with more people living with its long-term effects, incl. suffering loss and trauma, and we need to both get infectious diseases under control, as well as to fund discovery research in a context-relevant manner. Beyond the current crisis, we also need to consider how to build resilience in our communities, factoring in the effects of other parameters, as for example, climate change. Moving forward, it is important to look at innovative models of collaboration, incl. for R&D, and to combine research to advocacy, whilst at the same time raising awareness to support the generation and implementation of evidence-informed policies.