The Gates Foundation has pledged $2.5 billion to accelerate research and development (R&D) focused exclusively on women’s health, with investments planned through 2030 to drive innovation in maternal, menstrual, gynaecological, and sexual health for women globally.
In a statement released on Monday, the foundation announced that the funding will support over 40 innovations in five critically underfunded areas, particularly those impacting women in low- and middle-income countries.
We’re investing $2.5B through 2030 to help transform women’s health.
Over the past 25 years, the world has made real progress in helping women live healthier lives, but there’s still a long way to go. Women are underrepresented in research and excluded from the innovation…
— Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) August 4, 2025
Citing a 2021 McKinsey & Company report, the foundation noted that only one percent of healthcare research and innovation is dedicated to female-specific conditions beyond oncology.
Conditions such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, and menopause, which affect hundreds of millions of women, remain severely under-researched.
Dr Anita Zaidi, President of the Gates Foundation’s Gender Equality Division, stated, “For too long, women have suffered from health conditions that are misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or ignored.
“For too long, women have suffered from health conditions that are misunderstood, misdiagnosed, or ignored. We want this investment to spark a new era of women-centered innovation.” – @AnitaZaidi, Gates Foundation President of Gender Equality
Learn more about our latest… pic.twitter.com/Ahb96uy4Aj
— Gates Foundation (@gatesfoundation) August 4, 2025
‘We want this investment to spark a new era of women-centred innovation—one where women’s lives, bodies, and voices are prioritised in health R&D.
“This is the largest investment we’ve ever made in women’s health research and development, but it still falls far short of what is needed in a neglected and underfunded area of huge human need and opportunity.
“Women’s health is not just a philanthropic cause—it’s an investable opportunity with immense potential for scientific breakthroughs that could help millions of women. What’s needed is the will to pursue and follow through.”
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Bill Gates, Chair of the Gates Foundation, added, “Investing in women’s health has a lasting impact across generations.
“It leads to healthier families, stronger economies, and a more just world. Yet women’s health continues to be ignored, underfunded, and sidelined.
“Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health. That must change. But we can’t do it alone.”
The foundation called on governments, philanthropists, investors, and the private sector to co-invest in women’s health innovations and ensure access to treatments for women and girls in need.
The five priority areas were selected based on data, evidence, and insights from women in low- and middle-income countries, reflecting high rates of misdiagnosis due to gaps in medical knowledge and the unique challenges of low-resource settings.
Prof. Bosede Afolabi, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, remarked, “We see the consequences of underinvestment in women’s health innovation every day when women suffer needlessly, and sometimes lose their lives, because of the gaps in how we understand and treat conditions that uniquely affect them.
“This commitment brings much-needed attention to the health challenges women face in places where resources are most limited and the burden is highest. It reflects a recognition that women’s lives—and the innovations that support them—must be prioritised everywhere.”
The investment aims to address longstanding gaps in women’s health, unlocking broader social and economic benefits.
Research indicates that every $1 invested in women’s health yields $3 in economic growth, with closing the gender health gap potentially boosting the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040.
The R&D commitment complements the foundation’s efforts to scale up and deliver women’s health commodities, vaccines such as the HPV vaccine, and child health initiatives.