The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced a landmark $2.5 billion commitment through 2030 to accelerate research and development (R&D) targeting women’s health globally.
The foundation described the launch as a new era of women-centered innovation and investment. The announcement underscores the foundation’s growing focus on underfunded but high-impact health challenges facing women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Speaking on the announcement, the president of the gender equality division at the Gates Foundation, Dr. Anita Zaidi said the initiative aims to correct the historical neglect of women in global health research and product development. “For too long, women have suffered from health conditions that are misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or ignored,” Zaidi said. “We want this investment to spark a new era of women-centered innovation; one where women’s lives, bodies and voices are prioritised in health R&D.”
The commitment will help accelerate more than 40 innovations across five chronically underfunded areas: obstetric care and maternal immunisation, maternal health and nutrition, gynecological and menstrual health, contraceptive innovation and prevention, as well as treatment of sexually transmitted infections. These health areas, Zaidi said, are crucial to women’s well-being but continue to be sidelined in both public and private investment portfolios.
The urgency of the effort is backed by data. A 2021 analysis led by McKinsey & Company revealed that just 1 percent of healthcare R&D funding goes to conditions that exclusively affect women, excluding oncology. High-burden issues like endometriosis, heavy menstrual bleeding, gestational diabetes, menopause and preeclampsia remain vastly under-researched despite affecting hundreds of millions of women worldwide.
Co-chair of the foundation, Bill Gates emphasised that addressing women’s health is not just a matter of equity but a necessary investment for societal advancement. “Investing in women’s health has a lasting impact across generations. It leads to healthier families, stronger economies, and a more just world,” he said. “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 foundation called on governments, philanthropists, investors and private sector actors to join in co-financing the advancement of women’s health technologies, contribute to product development, and ensure equitable access to life-saving solutions. “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,” Zaidi noted. “Women’s health is not just a philanthropic cause; It’s an investable opportunity with immense potential for breakthroughs that could improve millions of lives.”
The new funding will support research into innovative solutions such as first-in-class therapeutics for preeclampsia, non-hormonal contraception options, improved STI diagnostics and tools to better understand the vaginal microbiome. It will also cover data generation and advocacy efforts to ensure new products gain public awareness and uptake upon approval.
The foundation said its focus areas were selected based on evidence and data showing where innovation could save the most lives, as well as insights from women in low-resource settings about their health needs, and existing diagnostic and treatment gaps that often lead to delayed or inadequate care. These focus areas also reflect the disproportionate challenges faced by women in under-resourced settings, where access to high-quality, affordable care remains limited.
Professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Lagos, Dr. Bosede Afolabi welcomed the investment, describing it as timely and transformative. “We see the consequences of underinvestment in women’s health innovation every day when women suffer needlessly, and sometimes lose their lives, because of the gaps in how we understand and treat conditions that uniquely affect them,” she said. “This commitment brings much-needed attention to the health challenges women face in places where resources are most limited and the burden is highest. It reflects a recognition that women’s lives (and the innovations that support them) must be prioritised everywhere.”
Beyond direct health benefits, the foundation emphasised the broader economic implications. Research shows that every dollar invested in women’s health yields up to $3 in economic growth. Closing the gender health gap alone could boost global GDP by $1 trillion annually by 2040.
This investment aligns with the Gates Foundation’s broader goals through 2045 to help end preventable maternal and child deaths, eliminate deadly infectious diseases and lift millions out of poverty. It also builds on a legacy of efforts to scale up women’s health solutions such as the HPV vaccine, family planning access, and early childhood health programs in the most underserved communities.
By putting women’s health at the center of innovation, the Foundation hopes to catalyse a wave of research, advocacy, and implementation that changes the trajectory for millions of women and girls, starting with those most in need.
