Mapping the exposure of global Pandemic Sciences Research to US funding contraction and cuts

The United States (US) is a major global funder of infectious disease research, with support to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Recent reductions in US funding will likely affect the global health research ecosystem. We examine the scale and consequences of these cuts by analysing US funding for infectious disease research captured in the Pandemic PACT Grant Tracker. Terminated awards were identified using the US Health and Human Services Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System and the National Science Foundation database, and linked publications were reviewed to assess research locations and collaborations. Between 2020 and 2025, Pandemic PACT captured 23,154 awards, of which 33.6% were funded by US-based entities, representing $6.2 billion in investment. For several diseases, US funders accounted for the majority of global research funding. Of 2,446 terminated awards, 293 focused on infectious diseases—primarily HIV and COVID-19—and two-thirds focused on public health policy, disease control, or community resilience. Although most terminated awards were led by US institutions, 16% involved LMIC partners. These findings highlight the infectious disease research pipeline’s vulnerability to US funding contraction, which alongside concurrent cuts in foreign aid by other countries, will exacerbate the burden of infectious diseases in the most vulnerable settings.