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The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has launched a new Call for Proposals to improve the thermostability of vaccines against known epidemic and pandemic diseases—like Ebola, Lassa fever, MERS, as well as COVID-19—or a novel Disease X.

The aim of the Call is to minimise the need for complex cold-chain requirements in order to improve global access to vaccines and, in turn, reduce potential vaccine wastage.

CEPI is particularly interested in hearing from vaccine developers and tech companies with new or existing innovations that could support the development of one or more infectious disease vaccines that are both heat-stable and freeze-stable. Example innovations that CEPI may look to fund include temperature-stable vaccine nasal sprays, microarray patches, or orally administered vaccines.

This work is part of CEPI’s goal, as part of its $3.5bn pandemic preparedness plan, to harness innovative technologies to improve the speed, scale and access of vaccine development and manufacturing in response to epidemics and pandemics. The Call may be extended to include other innovation areas that contribute to this goal.

Funding Information

Up to $17.5 million will be made available to support the innovations, with the aim to fund 3 to 5 projects in 2022.

Eligibility

•   Technologies must be applicable to current or future vaccines and accessible to low- and middle-income countries, and the innovation should not affect other key vaccine criteria such as costs, capacity, and ease of use.
•  Interested groups could either apply individually or, for example if an independent tech institution, pair together with a vaccine manufacturer and apply as a consortium.

Post Date: 04-Feb-2022