A planned HIV vaccine trial funded by USAID was cancelled in early 2025. Other funders have since stepped in to keep the program going as a smaller, more streamlined version of the trial originally planned.
Date: 2/26
Region: Global
Country: Global
Topic: Health, Research & Development
Policy Lens: Global Health Security
Entry Type: Secondary Effect
Additional Context: According to AVAC, BRILLIANT 011 launched in South Africa in January 2026. This HIV vaccine trial was originally cancelled by the U.S. government as part of the dismantling of USAID in early 2025. The South African Medical Research Council and the Gates Foundation, however, provided funding to keep the program going. This groundbreaking African-led and African-funded trial is a Phase I study of a bNAb inducing candidate.
Devex Researcher Note: The BRILLIANT Consortium is an all African scientist-led effort to develop a new HIV vaccine. Originally awarded in 2023, this $45 million grant was cancelled by USAID in early 2025.
Source: AVAC