The National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States has lifted its ban on funding research projects in South Africa. As a result, local scientists can apply for NIH grants again.
The change provides essential financial assistance to the health research sector in South Africa. This is important because local researchers have, in the past, been among the largest recipients of NIH funding outside the United States.
Since South Africa is a global leader in research on HIV and tuberculosis, the interruption of funding affected projects of international importance.