News

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence Research Funding Tracker developed in collaboration with the Pandemic PACT programme.

Strong research is essential for effective pandemic and epidemic intelligence and requires sustained, well-aligned funding. This interactive dashboard maps global research investments across the 23 priority areas identified in our 2024 Technical Brief on Research Prioritization for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence.

The WHO Hub for Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence coordinated the prioritization process in collaboration with the Global Research Collaboration for Infectious Disease Preparedness (GloPID-R), Charité University Hospital Berlin and the WHO Science Division, with a financial contribution and observer role from Wellcome Trust. The 23 research priorities are organized under three pillars: Better Data, Better Analytics, and Better Decisions, and align to eight themes: AI and Technological Advances, Data Preparedness, Quality Standards, Analytical Frameworks, Multisectoral Approaches, Community-Centred Approaches, Governance, and Evidence to Policy.

The funding tracker allows funders, researchers and decision-makers to see where resources are being invested and where gaps remain. It includes publicly available, downloadable datasets and interactive visualizations that can be filtered by theme.

Dr Oliver Morgan, Head of the WHO Hub in Berlin, welcomes the Launch of the Funding Tracker: "Research is the foundation for preventing, detecting, and responding to health threats. Understanding where investments in pandemic and epidemic intelligence research are going, and where gaps remain, is essential for improving surveillance systems and enabling evidence-based decision-making. Our collaboration with the Pandemic PACT programme helps funders make smarter, more targeted investments in priority research, ensuring decision-makers have the evidence they need to keep communities safe from health threats."

Prof Alice Norton, Principal Investigator of the Pandemic PACT research programme at the Pandemic Sciences Institute, University of Oxford and Scientific Director of GloPID-R, added: "Research prioritization roadmaps, such as the Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence Roadmap, take a huge global collaborative effort to develop to ensure effective identification of research gaps. Pandemic PACT enables visibility of relevant research portfolios at the earliest stage of funding award. Our close collaboration has ensured this dashboard provides the necessary live evidence to support better decisions on investments for these vital areas of research for pandemic preparedness."

Explore the WHO Pandemic and Epidemic Intelligence Funding Tracker and its associated data.