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April 15, 2022

A coalition of more than 100 leading global health and research organizations is calling on Congress to provide $250 million in new funding to the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish a fund to supercharge global health innovation.

In an open letter to congressional appropriators, these organizations urged policymakers to appropriate this dedicated innovation funding to USAID in the fiscal year 2023 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs spending bill. This new influx of resources, which advocates are calling the Supporting Innovative Global Health Technologies Fund, or SIGHT Fund, would enable USAID to expand its support of research and development (R&D) of products for a range of global health challenges.

The letter highlights how USAID has for decades excelled in facilitating R&D of new vaccines, drugs, and other tools as part of its broader global health mission. But it also notes how stagnant budgets and growing needs have squeezed the agency, resulting in a worrisome trend of USAID investment in R&D declining as a proportion of overall global health spending. The signatories make the case that this new dedicated source of R&D funding would reverse this decline and better enable the agency to make bold, forward-looking innovation investments to stock the global health toolbox of tomorrow.

The request for an initial appropriation of $250 million for the SIGHT Fund is an amount representing less than 3 percent of current US spending on global health, yet this modest investment could catalyze the development of game-changing tools that could accelerate progress against both emerging and enduring global health challenges—saving US taxpayer dollars, maximizing the impact of programs, and ultimately improving and saving lives around the world. 

The full text of the open letter can be viewed here and the full list of signatories is below:

  • 1,000 Days
  • 3rd Stone Design
  • Advancing Synergy
  • American Academy of Pediatrics
  • American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
  • AVAC
  • Bay Area Global Health Alliance
  • BEMPU Health
  • Better World Campaign
  • Bilimetrix s.r.l.
  • BIO Ventures for Global Health
  • Boston University Social Innovation on Drug Resistance Program
  • Bridges to Development
  • Bugworks
  • Burnet Institute
  • Catalysts for Change
  • Center for Global Health Innovation
  • Center for Innovation in Global Health, Georgetown University
  • Christian Connections for International Health
  • Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
  • Coalition for Health Research and Development
  • CONRAD
  • Consortium of Universities for Global Health
  • CORE Group
  • Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevoelkerung
  • Dr Marri Channa Reddy Foundation
  • Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative
  • Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
  • Emory University
  • EpiPointe
  • Equalize Health
  • FIND
  • FREO2 Foundation
  • Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
  • Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership
  • Global Health Council
  • Global Health Innovative Technology Fund
  • Global Health Strategies
  • Global Health Technologies Coalition
  • Global Impact
  • HarvestPlus
  • Hemex Health
  • IAVI
  • Infectious Diseases Society of America
  • Innovative Vector Control Consortium
  • International Business & Technical Consultants, Inc.
  • International Partnership for Microbicides
  • International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
  • International Vaccine Institute
  • Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security
  • KNCV Tuberculosis Foundation
  • Linux Foundation Public Health
  • Little Sparrow Technologies, Inc.
  • Lucky Iron Fish
  • Makerere University School of Public Health
  • Management Sciences for Health
  • Mbarara University of Science and Technology
  • Medical IMPACT
  • Medicines for Malaria Venture
  • Modula S Inc.
  • MRIGlobal
  • MustER
  • ONE Campaign
  • PAI
  • PanAfricare
  • Pandemic Action Network
  • Panorama Global
  • Partners In Health
  • PATH
  • Pathfinder International
  • Policy Cures Research
  • Population Council
  • Population Services International 
  • Research!America
  • RESULTS
  • Rice University Institute for Global Health Technologies
  • Sabin Vaccine Institute
  • Sanaria Inc.
  • Seed Global Health
  • Shot@Life
  • Sightsavers
  • Sinapi Biomedical
  • Smile Train
  • Society for Children Orphaned By AIDS Inc.
  • South Africa Health Technologies Advocacy Coalition
  • Speak Up Africa
  • TB Alliance
  • Texas Children's Hospital
  • The BroadReach Group
  • The END Fund
  • The Task Force for Global Health
  • Treatment Action Group
  • UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences
  • United to Beat Malaria
  • Unlock Aid
  • Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health
  • Washington Global Health Alliance
  • WCG Cares
  • What To Expect Project
  • White Ribbon Alliance
  • Women in Global Health
  • Zenysis