In turbulent times, Europe must double down on its investments in global health R&D

On 6 February 2025, I attended the Science|Business annual conference in Brussels on the theme: "New mandate, new agenda: Will the EU live up to its promises on R&I?" The tone in many of the sessions and coffee break discussions was sobering. Conversations reflected, rightly so, the deep uncertainty of our times with the impact of wars and conflicts, geopolitical tensions, economic pressures, and shifting global priorities.

The dismantling of USAID, a cornerstone of global development efforts, signalled a crack in the foundations of international cooperation as we know it. Knowledge sharing and collaboration, once guiding principles for cross-border progress, seem to be increasingly deprioritized, replaced by a "reciprocity " mentality that values self-interest over collective benefit and threatens collective action. Even if there were moments of optimism, the atmosphere felt sombre, with some even describing the situation as "the end of the world as we know it."

In the face of uncertainty and gloominess, the best course of action is not to retreat, but to double down on core values and focus on what we do know.

What remains certain is that investing in global public goods, global solidarity, and equity are not just the right thing to do but also a strategic necessity for Europe. And if other global powers hesitate, then Europe must be the lighthouse, providing clarity and leadership for the world and for its own future.

That is why I was in Brussels: to share with European policy makers, funders and advocates the compelling case for EU leadership in R&D for neglected diseases. These diseases affect more than a billion people worldwide, yet they receive little attention from market-driven R&D investments due to the lack of commercial incentives. Progress in this space has relied heavily on public funding, philanthropy, and limited private sector investments.

The case for continued European investment in global health R&D is not just built on principles of equity and solidarity — it is reinforced by hard numbers on economic growth and prosperity. In May 2024, our Impact of Global Health R&D report established that for every dollar invested in global health R&D, there was a $405 societal return.

The impact of the EU and its Members States (or Team Europe’s) contributions to neglected disease research is both profound and measurable.

Figure 1: Team Europe R&D funding: timeline of product launches and projected lives saved

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Beyond the immense health benefits, the economic returns are staggering.

Alongside the direct benefits for global health, investment in R&D for neglected diseases generates significant spillover benefits inside the EU.

These are significant figures for European policy makers when making decisions for resource allocation.

Much more than altruism and feel-good public investment, such numbers can easily be argued as European enlightened self-interest at its best.

More than 75% of these benefits are still to come, hinging on the continued commitment of decision makers in the EU and its Member States. A close look at the innovation landscape makes this clear.

Between 2000 and 2022, 183 new products were launched to tackle neglected diseases. Yet the needs remains urgent — by 2023, the pipeline for neglected diseases included nearly 750 candidates. Vaccines make up the most significant proportion of the pipeline with 37% (280) vaccines, followed by drugs 28% (209) drugs and diagnostics 23% (172). Microbicides and VCPs represent less than 2% each. From a funding perspective it is important to note that more than 30% of the vaccines and therapeutics in the current pipeline are already in Phase II or III trials. These late-stage trials are the most expensive part of the R&D process, requiring sustained investment to move promising candidates from the lab to the people who need them. Worryingly, more than a third of the neglected diseases have 10 or fewer candidates in the pipeline across all product areas combined. Most of these diseases clustered at the bottom of Figure 2 are among the WHO’s list of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), which have collectively seen a decade of stagnating R&D investment.

Figure 2: Pipeline of candidates for neglected diseases by product type (2023)

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With continued funding and a strengthened R&D ecosystem, another 182 products are expected to reach the market by 2040. Many of these would target the some of the world's deadliest infectious diseases, with nearly 46% of projected launches focused on tuberculosis (23%), malaria (16%), and HIV/AIDS (7.1%). However, without sustained or increased investment, these breakthroughs risk stalling—trapped in a pipeline with no way to reach the people who need them the most.

Europe has already made a transformational impact in global health R&D. The question now is whether it will finish what it started—or allow progress to falter just as life-saving solutions are within reach.

The EU — along with key Member States like Germany, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Spain, and Ireland — has been instrumental in funding neglected disease R&D. Now they must not only sustain this investment but also take on a stronger leadership role in shaping the global research and innovation landscape.

The bottom line is clear: investing in global health R&D delivers unmatched returns — for the world and for Europe itself. The question is no longer if Europe should continue to lead, but how it ensures that these investments reach their full potential. The numbers speak for themselves — investing in neglected disease research is not just the right thing to do; it is an economic and strategic win for Europe.