South African researchers have received a significant reprieve after the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) reportedly determined that funding for new research projects in South Africa is not covered by the Trump administration’s 2025 restrictions on assistance to the country.
The decision could reopen access to NIH funding for new research initiatives after a period of uncertainty that disrupted parts of South Africa’s medical and scientific research sector.
The policy shift stems from an executive order issued by US President Donald Trump in 2025 that suspended broad categories of US aid and assistance to South Africa.
According to Science, an internal NIH memorandum concluded that research grants should be treated separately from foreign aid or assistance. NIH director Jay Bhattacharya reportedly said the distinction means research funding can continue, subject to the relevant review processes.
The development has been welcomed by South Africa’s scientific community, although several restrictions on research cooperation remain.
New research funding can proceed, but training restrictions remain
The reported decision comes after South African researchers faced the loss of US-backed funding following Washington’s 2025 policy changes.
Ntobeko Ntusi, president and CEO of the South African Medical Research Council, described the lifting of the restriction as a major opportunity for South African science.
However, the policy does not restore all US research support for South Africa.
From 5 December 2026, the Fogarty International Research Center is expected to stop processing applications from South Africa and will no longer fund the training of South African scientists, according to the NIH memorandum.
The document reportedly cites South Africa’s status as an upper-middle-income country and a member of the G20 as reasons for the change.
This means that while new research projects may again be eligible for NIH support, certain international training and research programmes will remain unavailable to South African applicants.
The development comes amid a series of mixed signals in relations between Washington and Pretoria.
The US Senate has recently voted to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) to 2028, potentially providing additional stability for trade relations between the two countries.
The research funding decision therefore represents another area in which cooperation has continued despite broader political disagreements.
Broader US-South Africa tensions remain
The relationship between Washington and Pretoria has remained strained since the Trump administration introduced its 2025 policy towards South Africa.
The US government criticised South Africa over its legal action against Israel at the International Court of Justice and raised concerns about Pretoria’s relationship with Iran.
Washington has also challenged several South African domestic policies, particularly those involving land expropriation, Black Economic Empowerment and security in rural areas.
US Ambassador to South Africa Leo Brent Bozell has outlined a series of demands that Washington has linked to improving bilateral relations and creating a more favourable environment for trade negotiations.
These include stronger protection for rural communities, condemnation of rhetoric viewed by Washington as inciting hatred or violence, clearer compensation standards under expropriation legislation, changes to aspects of South Africa’s BEE framework and a move away from close relationships with countries regarded as US adversaries.
The US initially suspended broad assistance to South Africa but later restored some life-saving programmes, including parts of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, commonly known as PEPFAR.
That support is also being reconsidered. In June 2026, the US State Department said Washington planned a phased drawdown of PEPFAR.
Against this backdrop, the NIH decision represents a limited but important reopening of scientific cooperation.
For South African researchers, the immediate significance is that eligible new research projects may once again access US funding. However, the continued restrictions on training programmes and the wider disagreements over trade and foreign policy indicate that the broader relationship between Washington and Pretoria remains unsettled.