[Comment] Due south: navigating volatile health research landscapes

Unprecedented changes to the availability and structure of health funding, specifically from the USA, have had substantial impacts on research programmes, collaborations, and, most importantly, vulnerable populations in low-income and middle-income countries. For nearly three decades, South Africa has served as a crucial location for HIV and other infectious disease research, and in the process, produced internationally recognised experts in the field.1 Although South African health research, and similar programmes in low-income and middle-income countries, have benefitted substantially from international grant support, through deep and organic collaborations with US partners, the disruption in funding requires urgent rethinking to ensure the long-term sustainability of health research in South Africa and beyond.