Dramatic cuts to UK foreign aid budgets undermine global research partnerships
Dramatic cuts to UK foreign aid budgets have left the future of hundreds of research projects in developing countries hanging in the balance and trusted partnerships severely undermined, say leading scientists.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) announced on 11 March that its international development budget for 2021/22 had been reduced from £245 million to £125 million as a result of the economic impact of COVID-19, leaving a £120 million gap between allocations and commitments .
It says more than 800 projects will be affected by the cuts, which will see grants such as those awarded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and Newton Fund significantly reduced or, in some cases, terminated.
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There have been recent controversial cuts to the UK’s aid budget – slashed from 0.7% of gross national income to 0.5% last month – which have undermined the country’s commitment to “be a force for good in the world”. The cuts will have a devastating impact on the provision of services in humanitarian crises, such as in Yemen, and it will also affect vital research projects.
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the body that controls research funding in the UK, has told universities that projects under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), part of the UK’s official development assistance, are to be defunded. This is due to a budget shortfall of £120million (US$166million), amounting to a 70% reduction for the financial year 2021-2022.