Living mapping review - Pandemic PACT Grant Tracker:

The COVID-19 pandemic showed how quickly infectious diseases can spread and highlighted the need for better global research coordination. The Pandemic PACT Programme has created a live database that tracks research funding on diseases that could cause future pandemics, helping to improve preparedness.As of March 2025, the database includes over 20,000 grants from more than 300 funders across 58 countries, representing at least $14.4 billion in financial support. We reviewed this data to understand global research funding trends from 2020 to 2024, focusing on priority diseases and research areas.Our analysis shows that funding is unevenly distributed. Vaccine and therapeutic research receive most of the financial support, but much of it focuses on early-stage clinical trials. Areas such as diagnostics, health systems research, and ethics receive comparatively less attention. Funding is largely concentrated in high-income countries, with limited support for research led by institutions in low- and middle-income countries. Vulnerable populations are also rarely included in funded studies.These findings highlight gaps in global research investment and can help guide better coordination and decision-making to strengthen pandemic preparedness worldwide.