14/12/2021
GloPID-R 2021 Highlights and Season’s Greetings

As 2021 draws to a close, we would like to thank all our members, observers and partners for their participation and support during what has been another very active year for GloPID-R. The global community of funders has participated in an unprecedented response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and our efforts will continue in 2022.
Here are some of our activities and accomplishments over the past year.
With best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season.
Charu Kaushic, GloPID-R Chair
A year of growth
32 members & 5 observers
In 2021, we welcomed 3 new members:
We have 2 new observers, and we are now observers of:
- ESSENCE on Health Research Initiative (WHO/TDR)
- GOARN (Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network)
COVID-19 pandemic
The challenges facing funders
The need for coordination among funders of research is greater than ever in the face of the ongoing global health crisis. In 2021, GloPID-R worked with members and partners to identify and address the most urgent research priorities. These are the initiatives we undertook:
Long COVID
- We organized the Long COVID Joint Research Forum with our partners ISARIC and the Long Covid Support Group.
- Following this online forum, The Lancet Infectious Diseases published a letter authored by the GloPID-R Long COVID Forum Working Group and ISARIC.
- The Long Covid Forum Group published Research Priorities for Long COVID in BMC Medicine.
Research Project Tracker
- Developed by UKCDR and GloPID-R, the COVID-19 Research Project Tracker includes over 13,000 funded projects across 160 countries as of November 2021. We are exploring ways to expand and adapt this live database in 2022.
- In a blog post, Alice Norton, Head of the GloPID-R Scientific Secretariat, described the value of the Project Tracker and associated Living Mapping Review for funders and researchers.
COVID-19 research in LMICs
- Thousands of researchers and funders attended our online event, COVID-19 research in low- and middle-income countries, organized with partners UKCDR and COVID-19 Clinical Research Coalition.
Lessons learned
- The GloPID-R & UKCDR COVID CIRCLE Lessons for Funders report about funding and undertaking research during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic explores lessons learned especially in LMICs.
- A virtual dialogue, “What have we learned from funding COVID-19 research across the globe?” was co-hosted by UKCDR and GloPID-R to coincide with the release of this report.
- Marie Staunton (UKCDR) and Charu Kaushic (GloPID-R) reflect on lessons learned in “Getting COVID-19 research to the right places”.
Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) Report
Recommendations and guidance for funders
- Using a highly innovative scenario-planning methodology, the GloPID-R Scientific Advisory Group outlined research priorities through 2023 in its report Recommendations & Considerations for GloPID-R.
- Based on the SAG’s findings, the GloPID-R Co-Chairs Recommendations provided succinct guidance from our leadership for our members.
GloPID-R communications
New initiatives with our members
- With our one-on-one meetings and the recently launched Member Focus and News & Events Round Up we are stepping up communications with our members.
- GloPID-R news is being amplified via social media, especially Twitter.
- The revamped GloPID-R website will be launched early in the new year.
New directions in 2022
Plans and projects in the pipeline
GloPID-R is hard at work preparing initiatives to expand in new directions:
- Exploring ways to implement the regional hub strategy with a pilot project underway in Asia Pacific.
- Continuing to work with GloPID-R members to establish similar pilot projects for regional hubs in Africa and Latin America.
- Reforming the Clinical Trials Network (CTN ) working group and establishing a globally-representative CTN & Funders working group to align regional and global approaches.
- Expanding the Research Project Tracker as a broader tool for research funders, covering a wider range of diseases with epidemic and pandemic potential.
- Developing a joint funding call for research preparedness.
- Advancing coordination and cooperation with WHO.
- Creating a joint ‘One Health’ working group with OIE/STAR-IDAZ.
- Further expanding our membership.