Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has had discussions with the University of Birmingham on the future of the Global Surgery Network beyond June 2026.

Departmental colleagues met with representatives of the University on 12 August 2025 to discuss the future of the Global Surgery Network. These discussions took place following the announcement from the Prime Minister in February 2025 to reduce Official Development Assistance (ODA) to the equivalent of 0.3% of gross national income by 2027. After this announcement, and the outcome of the 2025 Spending Review, the Department has taken the decision to focus new ODA research funding on global health security and particular diseases of poverty.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)-funded Global Health Research Unit on Global Surgery was originally awarded over £6.9 million in Global Health Research’s inaugural Units call in 2017 and, following a second NIHR funding competition, received a further award of £7 million in 2021 to establish a sustainable network of surgical research. This latest award is due to conclude in June 2026. The Department will honour all on-going research commitments.

We continue to recognise the critical importance of global health research to drive the health and well-being of the poorest and most vulnerable. Any updates on our funding opportunities will be reflected on the NIHR website.