Global Research and Technology Development approach paper 2026

The world is changing rapidly. The challenges we face are more complex and urgent than ever. Science, technology and research shape that world, driving economic opportunity, transforming health and food systems, accelerating the clean energy transition and influencing security and geopolitical stability. This paper sets out how we will do that through the Global Research and Technology Development portfolio (GRTD).

It reflects deliberate choices about what we will prioritise and what we will not, so we can focus our research funding where it can deliver the greatest global impact over time:

• supporting mission-driven research and innovation that solves shared global challenges and reduces poverty
• produces global public goods and strengthens the systems and partnerships needed for those goods to be adopted widely

In a world of tightening budgets, greater volatility and rapidly advancing technology, clarity matters. This paper is intended to give partners, researchers and policy colleagues greater certainty about our direction so they can plan, invest and work with us for the long term.