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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong>Read more<\/p>\n The UK is to continue backing world-leading research into vaccines, medicines and other tools to tackle global health challenges, with a significant portion of the aid budget being ringfenced for such work despite the UK\u2019s programme of aid cuts<\/a>. <\/p>\n Research into diseases and health threats including malaria, dengue, HIV, TB and pre-eclampsia are collectively receiving more than \u00a3100m in UK support, as concerns grow that progress on global health challenges is at risk of going into reverse<\/a> thanks to aid cuts from wealthy countries. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re continuing the UK\u2019s proud track record of supporting science that saves lives,\u201d Minister for Development Kirsty McNeill told The Independent. She added that British research into new malaria vaccines and bed nets had \u201ccontributed to one million lives saved from malaria in 2024 alone\u201d. <\/p>\n \u201cOur investment in these partnerships is pushing for the next breakthroughs, protecting people around the world and here at home from malaria, dengue, TB and other deadly diseases,\u201d said Ms McNeill. <\/p>\n In all, some \u00a3137.5m is being invested in 10 key product development partnerships between 2024\/25 and 2027\/28, including King\u2019s College London, the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, and the TB Alliance. <\/p>\n The research at Kings College London is to develop affordable diagnostic tools and a mobile app that will help health workers tackle maternal health risks<\/a>, by better alerting them to risks including preeclampsia and anaemia. <\/p>\n The move comes as concern grows among charities and aid groups that maternal and neonatal health could be deeply impacted<\/a> by aid cuts. <\/p>\n The UK\u2019s backing for TB Alliance, meanwhile, supports world-leading scientists who are working to develop safer, shorter and more affordable TB treatments – with previous support having resulted in the development of a Pretomanid, which is used to treat drug-resistant TB. <\/p>\n Partnerships for organisations including Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and World Mosquito Programme are intended to help the UK retain its position as a global malaria research powerhouse<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n UK researchers have been pivotal in developing the world\u2019s first malaria vaccines – as The Independent has previously reported on from Tanzania<\/a> – while just last month MMV-backed researchers at the University of Dundee announced the development of a single-dose malaria drug that could transform treatment around the world. <\/p>\n \u201cBreakthroughs in global health don’t happen by chance. They are the result of sustained investment, scientific collaboration and a willingness to back innovation over the long term,\u201d Dr Martin Fitchet, CEO of MMV, told The Independent.<\/p>\n \u201cThe UK’s partnership with MMV has helped transform cutting-edge research into practical solutions for people at risk of malaria, contributing to medicines that are already saving lives and supporting the development of the next generation of antimalarials.\u201d <\/p>\n The new announcement on research funding comes as the UK is in the midst of implementing wide-ranging cuts to UK aid programmes, following the former Prime Minister Keir Starmer\u2019s decision to cut the aid budget by nearly 40 per cent, which has resulted in nine African countries seeing their UK bilateral aid decline by more than 80 per cent<\/a>. <\/p>\n It also comes just weeks after the appointment of Ed Miliband as foreign secretary, with Mr Miliband pledging<\/a> to make international development and tackling the climate crisis key priorities upon his appointment. <\/p>\n