Gates Foundation commits $540M to expand U Washington global health research initiative

The University of Washington in Seattle has announced a $540.2 million commitment from the Gates Foundation to fund a 10-year effort to bolster UW’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation longitudinal health research initiative. The award marks the largest single donation in the university’s 165-year history. The funding will expand IHME’s ongoing Global Burden of Diseases study from 925 locations to nearly 5,000, strengthening the depth and quality of localized health data used by governments and public health researchers. The project will also support health forecasting and tracking of national health spending. The funding provides long-term stability as federal support for scientific research becomes increasingly uncertain.