Novo Nordisk Foundation, Wellcome and the Gates Foundation co-fund health R&D with US$300M

07 May 2024 --- The Danish Novo Nordisk Foundation, partners with the UK health research charitable foundation Wellcome and the Gates Foundation to support global R&D focused on making health solutions more accessible to people in low- and middle-income countries. Each of the three entities has pledged US$100 million to research looking at the interplay between nutrition, immunity, disease and developmental outcomes.

“By pooling the vast experience and unique expertise of each organization — across research, technology, innovation and enterprise — we can make asciedvances that wouldn’t otherwise be possible,” comments Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, CEO of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

“I am particularly excited about the chance to break down barriers between often isolated areas of work — between cardiometabolic and infectious diseases, or between scientific discovery and delivery of solutions, for example — and support the development of truly innovative solutions that can improve and save lives.”

The three-year initiative was revealed at the Novo Nordisk Foundation’s Global Science Summit held in Helsingør, Denmark, on May 6 and 7.

Areas of collaboration
The funding sets out to provide direct support for researchers and institutions in low- and middle-income countries by providing resources that allow for locally relevant research agendas, improving capacity and scaling equitable access to technology. The three areas of collaboration currently include climate and sustainability, infectious diseases and interactions.

Concerning climate and sustainability, the initiative sets out to advance climate data, sustainable agriculture and food systems in order to protect those most susceptible to the effects of climate change. These solutions should be applied across climate, health and agricultural science.

The funding will support researchers and institutions in low- and middle-income countries in their development of locally relevant research agendas.Improving understanding of antimicrobial resistance, when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to antimicrobial medicines, advancing disease surveillance and developing vaccines for respiratory infections are the key aims of the infectious diseases realm of research. These issues continue to pose a significant risk across several regions of the world, and new advancements in detection and vaccine development may be the answer to burden reduction. 

In the area of “interactions,” the partners aim to build an understanding of the interplay between nutrition, immunity, infectious diseases, cardiometabolic and other non-communicable diseases and developmental outcomes. Such advancements in nutritional science, as well as the study of the microbiome and immunology, could help discover ways to reduce the effects of over- and undernutrition on overarching aspects of health and development, including cardiometabolic and infectious diseases. 

In reaction to the initiative, Dr. Catherine Kyobutungi, executive director of the African Population and Health Research Center, a leading scientific research institution based in Nairobi, Kenya, comments: “The most effective solutions to pressing challenges often emerge from the very communities they affect. I’m encouraged that this new partnership seeks to unlock novel ideas and support the scientists working directly with the communities that stand to benefit the most.”

The importance of R&D
As part of the initiative announcement, the three companies highlight that recent technologies and scientific breakthroughs have allowed the acceleration of innovation progress, with health workers, governments and global alliances acting jointly to eliminate diseases, extend life expectancies and reduce poverty. 

Recent technologies and scientific breakthroughs have allowed the acceleration of innovation progress.Simultaneously, they point out that worldwide, both funding and attention for global health and development are decreasing due to debt crises and cuts. This has contributed to the increasingly challenging realities for the world’s most vulnerable communities. 

Recognizing the challenges presented by this slump in funding, at the start of this year, the Gates Foundation increased its annual philanthropic budget to US$8.6 billion. USAID recently announced that it would purchase US$200 million worth of ready-to-use therapeutic food to treat acute malnutrition. 

John-Arne Røttingen, CEO of Wellcome, asserts: “We face huge challenges to protecting and improving physical and mental health, compounded by vast inequalities globally. Solutions will start in science. We’ve seen this throughout history, and we’ve lived first-hand through incredible advances to save and improve lives. In today’s complex world, health challenges increasingly overlap.”

“We need global collaboration and cooperation more than ever to build healthier futures and for society to thrive. I look forward to seeing the exciting, innovative research that will come as a result of this partnership. By partnering with the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Gates Foundation, we can raise ambition and combine resources and networks to find new ways to advance global health research — especially for those with the greatest need.”

Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, adds: “We’re on the cusp of so many scientific breakthroughs in agriculture, health and nutrition, and with the right support, these innovations will save and improve lives around the world.” 

“Every sector has a critical role to play, and we hope this collaboration opens the door for other funders and partners to contribute to scaling up existing innovations and developing the tools of tomorrow,” he concludes. 

By Milana Nikolova