The Gates Foundation has announced it will be investing $2.5 billion over the next five years to accelerate R&D focused on women’s health. The investment marks the largest in the Foundation’s history dedicated to advancing health innovations and solutions for women.
The pledge represents an approximate one-third increase over what the Foundation spent on women’s and maternal health innovation in the previous five years, according to Reuters.
The Foundation said its $2.5 billion commitment will advance innovation in five key areas of women’s health:
- Obstetric care and maternal immunization to make pregnancy and delivery safer
- Maternal health and nutrition to support healthier pregnancies and newborns
- Gynecological and menstrual health to advance tools and research to improve gynecological health, treatment and infection prevention
- Contraceptive innovation to offer more accessible, acceptable and effective options
- Prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections to improve diagnosis and treatment to reduce disproportionate health burdens on women
The five priority areas were selected based on where innovation can have the greatest impact, informed by data, input from women in low- and middle-income countries and high misdiagnosis rates due to knowledge gaps. They reflect urgent needs in low-resource settings, making them prime for impactful investment.
The investment is one of the Foundation’s first major commitments following Gates’s announcement to donate his $200 billion fortune by 2045 and close the Foundation.
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“Investing in women’s health has a lasting impact across generations. It leads to healthier families, stronger economies and a more just world,” said Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation in the announcement. “Yet women’s health continues to be ignored, underfunded and sidelined. Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health. That must change. But we can’t do it alone.”
The Gates Foundation will support more than 40 promising innovations, particularly those that could benefit women in low- and middle-income countries.
The Foundation stated that new approaches could involve research into the vaginal microbiome, the development of improved treatments for preeclampsia and the advancement of nonhormonal contraceptive options.
The commitment also includes investments in data generation and advocacy efforts aimed at supporting product adoption and maximizing impact once these innovations are approved.
Historically, women’s health, particularly beyond oncology, has been critically underfunded.
A 2021 analysis by McKinsey & Company revealed that only 1% of global healthcare R&D spending, excluding cancer, was directed toward female-specific conditions. As a result, many conditions that disproportionately affect women, such as endometriosis, preeclampsia and menopause-related disorders, remain underdiagnosed, poorly understood and underserved by existing treatments.
Moreover, by law, the US didn’t require women to be included in federally funded clinical research until 1993. This historical exclusion means that many treatments and diagnostics were developed based primarily on male physiology, leaving critical gaps in our understanding of conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.
Dr. Anita Zaidi, president of the Gates Foundation’s Gender Equality Division, emphasized that the new commitment is about transforming how innovation in health is prioritized. She stated, “We want this investment to spark a new era of women-centered innovation — one where women’s lives, bodies and voices are prioritized in health R&D.”
Among the technologies being explored are AI-powered ultrasound tools that frontline healthcare workers can use with minimal training, and longer-acting contraceptives, such as an injectable shot that provides up to six months of protection to offer women more control over reproduction.
Globally, the initiative could help significantly reduce maternal mortality, enhance reproductive autonomy and improve the overall quality of care for women, generating significant social and economic benefits. According to the McKinsey Health Institute, closing the global health gap for women could unlock $1 trillion in economic gains every year by 2040.
To address persistent gaps in funding and research, the foundation is calling on governments, philanthropists, investors and the private sector to co-invest in women’s health innovations, contribute to shaping product development and help ensure that women and girls have access to the treatments they need most.
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Foundation, reinforced this call to action by stating, “Investing in women’s health has a lasting impact across generations. Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health. That must change. But we can’t do it alone.”
“This is the largest investment we’ve ever made in women’s health research and development, but it still falls far short of what is needed in a neglected and underfunded area of huge human need and opportunity,” said Zaidi.
“Women’s health is not just a philanthropic cause — it’s an investable opportunity with immense potential for scientific breakthroughs that could help millions of women. What’s needed is the will to pursue and follow through,” he said.
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