The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on Monday announced a $2.5 billion commitment through 2030 to accelerate research and development focused exclusively on women’s health, targeting five critical and chronically underfunded areas.

The funding will support the advancement of more than 40 innovations designed to improve health outcomes for women, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where the burden of disease and lack of access to healthcare remain acute.

“We want this investment to spark a new era of women-centered innovation — one where women’s lives, bodies and voices are prioritized in health R&D,” said Dr. Anita Zaidi, president of the foundation’s gender equality division, in a statement.

Addressing Long-Standing Neglect

Women’s health remains one of the most underfunded areas in global healthcare. According to a 2021 McKinsey-led analysis, just 1 percent of healthcare research is invested in conditions unique to women outside of cancer. This leaves major conditions such as preeclampsia, endometriosis, gestational diabetes and menopause largely overlooked.

“These are diseases that affect hundreds of millions of women and yet are deeply under-researched,” Zaidi said. “This is the largest investment we’ve ever made in women’s health R&D, but it still falls far short of what is needed.”

The foundation’s investment will support research into the vaginal microbiome, non-hormonal contraception and novel therapeutics for obstetric complications, among other innovations.

Funds will also be allocated to advocacy and data generation to facilitate regulatory approval and uptake of successful products.

Five Areas of Focus

The Gates Foundation said it selected five priority areas based on where innovation could yield the greatest health and socioeconomic impact:

  • Obstetric care and maternal immunization: To improve safety during pregnancy and childbirth.
  • Maternal health and nutrition: To support healthier pregnancies and newborn outcomes.
  • Gynecological and menstrual health: To develop better diagnostics, treatments and infection prevention tools.
  • Contraceptive innovation: To expand effective, acceptable and accessible options.
  • STIs (including HIV PrEP): To improve diagnosis and treatment, particularly for women.

The initiative aims to counter high rates of misdiagnosis and medical oversight stemming from data gaps and a lack of provider training.

A Call for Broader Investment

The foundation urged governments, investors and private-sector actors to co-invest in women’s health and share responsibility in closing the gender health gap.

“Women’s health continues to be ignored, underfunded and sidelined,” said Bill Gates, co-chair of the foundation in the statement. “Too many women still die from preventable causes or live in poor health. That must change. But we can’t do it alone.”

Dr. Bosede Afolabi, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Lagos, said the investment brings critical attention to neglected issues in settings where women face the highest health burdens.

“This commitment reflects a recognition that women’s lives — and the innovations that support them—must be prioritized everywhere,” she said.

Economic and Social Payoff

The foundation cited research showing that every $1 invested in women’s health yields $3 in economic growth. Closing the gender health gap could boost the global economy by $1 trillion annually by 2040.

The funding aligns with the Gates Foundation’s broader goals through 2045 to eliminate preventable maternal and child deaths, eradicate deadly infectious diseases and lift millions out of poverty.

The announcement builds on two decades of work by the foundation in maternal and child health, and complements its efforts to scale access to vaccines such as HPV and other essential health commodities.