title: Research Investments in Global Health: A Systematic Analysis of UK Infectious Disease Research Funding and Global Health Metrics, 1997-2013.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Infectious diseases account for a significant global burden of disease and substantial investment in research and development. This paper presents a systematic assessment of research investments awarded to UK institutions and global health metrics assessing disease burden.
  
  
  METHODS
  We systematically sourced research funding data awarded from public and philanthropic organisations between 1997 and 2013. We screened awards for relevance to infection and categorised data by type of science, disease area and specific pathogen. Investments were compared with mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and years lived with disability (YLD) across three time points.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between 1997-2013, there were 7398 awards with a total investment of £3.7 billion. An increase in research funding across 2011-2013 was observed for most disease areas, with notable exceptions being sexually transmitted infections and sepsis research where funding decreased. Most funding remains for pre-clinical research (£2.2 billion, 59.4%). Relative to global mortality, DALYs and YLDs, acute hepatitis C, leishmaniasis and African trypanosomiasis received comparatively high levels of funding. Pneumonia, shigellosis, pertussis, cholera and syphilis were poorly funded across all health metrics. Tuberculosis (TB) consistently attracts relatively less funding than HIV and malaria.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most infections have received increases in research investment, alongside decreases in global burden of disease in 2013. The UK demonstrates research strengths in some neglected tropical diseases such as African trypanosomiasis and leishmaniasis, but syphilis, cholera, shigellosis and pneumonia remain poorly funded relative to their global burden. Acute hepatitis C appears well funded but the figures do not adequately take into account projected future chronic burdens for this condition. These findings can help to inform global policymakers on resource allocation for research investment.
authors: University College London, Farr Institute for Health Informatics, 222 Euston Road, London NW1 2DA, United Kingdom; Academic Unit of Clinical and Experimental Sciences Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, United Kingdom. Electronic address: m.head@ucl.ac.uk.
authors: Michael G
authors: MG
authors: Head
authors: London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, United Kingdom; Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Joseph R
authors: JR
authors: Fitchett
authors: Imperial College London, School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
authors: Vaitehi
authors: V
authors: Nageshwaran
authors: Imperial College London, School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.
authors: Nina
authors: N
authors: Kumari
authors: University College London, Farr Institute for Health Informatics, 222 Euston Road, London NW1 2DA, United Kingdom.
authors: Andrew
authors: A
authors: Hayward
authors: Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Rifat
authors: R
authors: Atun
mesh_terms: D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000266:history / Q000401:mortality; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005378:Financial Support; D014943:Global Health / Q000191:economics*; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D007449:Investments; D012106:Research / Q000191:economics*; D013597:Systems Analysis; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Disease burden; Funding; Global health; Infectious disease; Research investment