IVI and IPD establish new partnership for vaccine R&D and biomanufacturing training

June 2, 2023, DAKAR, Senegal and SEOUL, Republic of Korea –

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI), and Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a partnership on 3 areas to: 1. IPD as a regional Center of Training Excellence for Biomanufacturing to equip talented young people, particularly young women, with specialized skills in vaccine research, manufacturing, production, and distribution. 2. To support manufacturing and technology transfer of vaccines relevant to Africa of existing vaccine technologies to increase vaccine manufacturing on the continent 3. end-to-end vaccine development across a range research, lab-to-lab vaccine and process development, Good Clinical Practice and regulatory pathways.

Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said:

“IVI and IPD share a goal of developing capacity in Senegal and across the continent at every stage of end-to-end vaccine manufacturing. We are intent on building a sustainable biomanufacturing ecosystem in Africa that makes available safe, effective, and affordable vaccines and other health technologies for African populations. We look forward to pursuing joint funding opportunities and leveraging IVI’s expertise and network of partners to accelerate the research and development of critically needed vaccines as well as their broad and equitable access.”

“This partnership with IVI will greatly contribute to the implementation of our ambition to set up a regional training hub of excellence for the new African vaccine industry, creating a skilled and self-sufficient workforce in Senegal and other African countries. This new partnership with IVI for vaccine R&D and biomanufacturing training will enable us to reinforce the Institut Pasteur de Dakar’s clear commitment to the continental strategy for local vaccine production. With this partnership IPD is consolidating its position Center of Excellence for Vaccine serving the purpose of Africa self-reliance on vaccines under the leadership of Africa CDC and the PAVM,”

said Dr Amadou Sall, CEO of IPD With IPD’s expansion into new capabilities supported by global funders, IVI’s training sessions aim to provide essential, practical knowledge designed to strengthen capacity in all aspects of biomanufacturing.

Capacity-building is a core area of strategic interest outlined by the MOU, with training sessions on-site at IPD beginning directly following the signing ceremony. These sessions will pay particular attention to technology transfer and project management.

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and developed a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that is currently under assessment for WHO PQ.

IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden and Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 39 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.

IPD is a Senegalese not-for-profit foundation working to advance equitable access to health in Africa, especially in Senegal. We do this by providing communities with Healthcare Solutions and Laboratory services, engaging in cutting-edge Biomedical Research and Innovation, manufacturing Vaccines and Diagnostics essential to African populations, developing Human Capital, and engaging in Public Health activities such as epidemic intelligence, outbreak response, and surveillance.

In a unique and innovative way, IPD brings together key capabilities and functions to address public health challenges in Africa.

IPD plays an important regional role through its various specialized reference laboratories and its partnership with WHO in the fight against infectious diseases. IPD is one of the four WHO prequalified manufacturers to supply yellow fever vaccines to UN Agencies.

Visit www.pasteur.sn & Follow IPD via @PasteurDakar

IVI
Aerie Em
Global Communications & Advocacy Manager
+82 2 881 1386 | aerie.em@ivi.int

IPD
Diama Diop Dia Djigo
Senior Communications Manager
+221 77 8354643 | diamadiop.dia@pasteur.sn