Substantial grant funding cuts from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). threaten to derail decades of progress in combating HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB), reported Business Day (24March 2025).
According to Professor Glenda Gray (University of Cape Town) SA receives approximately $250m annually from the NIH for medical research. Projects suffering due to the cuts include projects at the SA Medical Research Council (MRC) and numerous top universities.
“The loss of these grants poses a severe threat to SA’s established clinical trial infrastructure, impacting scientists, doctors, nurses, laboratories, and the training of future researchers.”