LAUSR

INTRODUCTION Improving access to grant funding is a critical aspect of strengthening research capacity outside of higher-income settings, particularly in HIV/AIDS where randomized control trials that require substantial resources are common. In this paper, we assessed recent RCTs to examine variation in how studies were funded, depending on study location and countries where publication authors were based. METHODS We conducted a Pubmed literature review to identify RCTs with HIV status or viral load endpoints published in 2019 and 2020, then analysed cross-tabulations of funding sources by study characteristics. RESULTS 116 publications met the inclusion criteria. Research in higher income countries was most likely to be funded by biotech/pharmaceutical companies, while research in lower- and middle-income countries was most likely to be funded by US government sources. Overall, we found the distribution of funding sources differed significantly by study and author location (χ^2=23, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Published RCTs with HIV status or viral load endpoints are financed differently based on where studies take place and where the authors are based. As part of future research, understanding why this variation exists is critical for assessing how funding contributes to global imbalances in scientific resources.