The German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA) has published a new position paper arguing that sustained investment in global health research delivers a “double dividend” – saving lives internationally while strengthening Germany’s innovation capacity, security, and international partnerships.
The Double Dividend: Why Germany should invest in Global Health Research sets out five core reasons for targeted support: strengthening society and development; boosting competitiveness and innovation; strengthening Germany and the EU as research hubs; supporting foreign policy; and contributing to security through crisis prevention and preparedness.
The paper points to evidence that global health R&D can generate very high social returns. Citing modelling on research into neglected diseases from a report by Impact Global Health (2024), it notes that investments into R&D for neglected diseases will save over 40 million lives by 2040, with an estimated average return of €405 in global social and economic benefit for every euro invested. The paper also emphasizes the role of global health research in crisis prevention and economic resilience. Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, it shows that the costs of responding to global health emergencies in Germany greatly exceeded the investments required for preventive preparedness and research.
Global health research takes an interdisciplinary approach to worldwide health challenges, examining their causes, consequences, and potential solutions. It provides the scientific foundation for secure health care provision, the control of infectious diseases, addressing the health impacts of climate change and biodiversity loss, effective prevention, and resilient health systems.
GLOHRA's core arguments were picked up in the Tagesspiegel article Wie Deutschland von Investitionen profitieren soll (10 February 2026).
Resources
- The Double Dividend: Why Germany should invest in Global Health Research | Full Report in English | One-pager in English | Presentation in English
Die Doppelte Dividende: Warum Deutschland in Forschung für globale Gesundheit investieren sollte | Full Report in German | One-pager in German | Presentation in German
- Tagesspiegel Wie Deutschland von Investitionen profitieren soll [in German, no-cost, log-in required]
Contact
Dr. Rebecca Ingenhoff
Head of Policy and International Engagement
Secretariat c/o Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
rebecca.ingenhoff@charite.de