UK aid cuts ‘could galvanise African investment in R&D’

Event participants urge longer-term funding for equitable partnerships and greater investment in African vaccine research

Cuts to research projects funded by the UK international aid budget could secure political support for investment by African governments, according to the head of a network of African universities.

In March, it was revealed that the UK’s national research funder had been given £120 million less than it needed to fund ongoing research collaborations between UK researchers and partners in the global south. The cuts, many of which were in the region of 70 per cent, were a result of the UK government slashing aid spending from 0.7 to 0.5 per cent of gross national income.