The Gates Foundation has announced a $2.5 billion commitment to accelerate research and development (R&D) in women’s health, with funding spread through 2030.
According to a press statement on the foundation’s website on Monday, the investment will advance more than 40 innovations across five critical, historically underfunded areas, particularly those affecting women in low- and middle-income countries.
Dr. Anita Zaidi, president of the Gates Foundation’s Gender Equality Division, said for too long, women have suffered from health conditions that are misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or ignored.
“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,” she said.
Underfunded and overlooked
Zaidi emphasized that women’s health R&D remains chronically underfunded. Areas such as gynecological and menstrual health, obstetric care, contraceptive innovation, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) solutions (including HIV PrEP for women), and maternal health and nutrition receive limited investment.
According to a 2021 analysis led by McKinsey & Company, just 1% of healthcare research and innovation is invested in female-specific conditions beyond oncology.
Critical issues like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, and menopause, which together affect hundreds of millions of women, remain deeply under-researched.
Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, said investing in women’s health has a lasting impact across generations. It leads to healthier families, stronger economies, and a more just world.
“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,” said Zaidi.
Five focus areas across a woman’s lifespan
According to the foundation, the investment will advance innovation across five high-impact areas of a woman’s lifespan, including obstetric care, maternal nutrition, gynecological health, contraceptive development, and the treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Funding will also support data collection and advocacy to ensure widespread adoption and impact once new products are approved.
The selected focus areas reflect both the pressing health needs of women in low- and middle-income countries and the persistent gaps in medical training that contribute to misdiagnosis and poor outcomes.
The foundation emphasized that these challenges, especially prevalent in low-resource settings, present opportunities for scalable public and private sector investment.
Expert applauds the initiative
Dr. Bosede Afolabi, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said, “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.
“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 prioritized everywhere,” She emphasized.
More insights
By addressing long-standing gaps in women’s health, the investment aims to unlock broader social and economic gains.
Research shows that every $1 invested in women’s health yields $3 in economic growth, and closing the gender health gap could boost the global economy by $1 trillion per year by 2040.
The R&D commitment complements the foundation’s work supporting the scale-up and delivery of women’s health commodities, vaccines such as the HPV vaccine, and child health.
