Dear Cambridge Global Challenges Colleagues,

You will all be aware of recent announcements and media coverage of cuts to research funding. This will affect many of our projects and the partners we are working with. In these uncertain times, we aim to summarise the information we have here, and ask you to share this further to maintain momentum in the discussions and pressure on the UK Government.

Can we ask you to please do the following:

1. Share the information through social media, talk to journalists, write to your MPs, etc.
2. Add your name to the Reverse ODA Cuts Open Letter (this letter was sent 18 March to the Government but they are still open for further signatures)
3. Add your name to the Healthy Societies Open Letter (again, this letter has already been submitted to the Government but they are still open for further signatures)
4. Sign the petition calling on the Government to revoke cuts to global health research
5. Consider writing a blog on your research and the effect that the cuts will have (We are happy to support you with editing and we can publish on the GCI website as well as the Reverse ODA Cuts website)

Here is a summary of the information we have:

• UKRI Overseas Development Assistance letter, 11 March
• Royal Society statement, 18 March
• NIHR Statement on ODA funding for its Global Health Research Portfolio, 22 March
• DSA statement on reduction to UKRI’s ODA-funded budgets, March
• The Government Integrated Review, 16 March
• Email to all university VCs from David Sweeney, Research England, 18 March: confirmed that there will be no GCRF QR allocation for 2021-22 …. and that ‘At this point I am afraid that we are unable to make any statement about the likelihood of future QR GCRF allocations.’

Media coverage:

• Slashing research funding is a blow to Global Britain – VCs from Cambridge and Oxford, in The Telegraph and on the University of Cambridge websites, 19 March
• UK academics unite to urge Dominic Raab to reverse ‘unprecedented’ aid cut – Open Democracy, 17 March
• Vice-chancellor: UKRI cuts will lead to ‘immediate redundancies’ – Research Professional News, 18 March
• Science in Action – podcast including interview with UKRI CEO Dame Ottoline Leyser, BBC World Service, 18 March
• 'This happens in Brazil, not Britain': academics in despair as global research funds pulled – The Guardian, 19 March
• UK's drastic cut to overseas aid risks future pandemics, say Sage experts – Including statement from pro-VC, in The Observer, 20 March
• Research funding cut would damage 'Global Britain' – BBC News, 20 March

A reminder of what Cambridge Global Challenges pulled together in 2020:

• DFID and FCO merger: an open letter, from CGI to the UK Government, 6 August 2020
• Case Studies of ODA-funded research from across the University of Cambridge

We will keep you informed as and when we hear more. Meanwhile, do share any updates that you receive. We would be happy to share this with the Cambridge Global Challenges community. And do let us know if you have any questions.