Gates Foundation Commits $2.5 Billion to Women’s Health Research

The Gates Foundation has announced a $2.5 billion commitment to support research and development in women’s health. The investment, which runs through to 2030, will focus on more than 40 innovations in five key areas including maternal care, menstrual and gynaecological health, contraceptive technology, and the treatment of sexually transmitted infections.

In a statement released on Monday, the Foundation said the funding will prioritise conditions that are often overlooked or underfunded, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. These include preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, endometriosis, heavy menstrual bleeding, and menopause, which together affect hundreds of millions of women globally.

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President of the Foundation’s Gender Equality Division, Anita Zaidi, described the move as a push for women-centred innovation in healthcare, adding that many conditions affecting women have long been misunderstood or ignored. She called on governments, donors, and the private sector to co-invest in closing long-standing research gaps.

Chair of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, said investing in women’s health yields multi-generational benefits, such as healthier families and stronger economies. He stressed that despite its importance, the sector remains underfunded and called for broader collaboration to address the imbalance.