Globally, cancer research is supported by substantial funding from various government, industry, and philanthropic sources. Investments by 120 government and non-profit funders of cancer research increased from US$5·56 billion in 2006 to $8·51 billion in 2018, and this value accounts for just 60% of funding outside of pharmaceutical industries and the private sector.1 Meanwhile, the International Agency for Research on Cancer identified 4693 organisations from 107 countries that were engaged in funding cancer research between 2008 and 2018.