International Vaccine Institute

10/09/2026

A small gesture can carry great meaning.

When a family in Burkina Faso returned to the health center where their child received care through an IVI-led group A Streptococcus project, they brought a traditional gift—a chicken.

For the field team, it was a touching expression of gratitude. It was also a reminder of the trust that makes community-based research possible.

Strep A can begin with something as ordinary as a sore throat or skin infection yet can lead to serious complications. In many low-resource settings, however, the true burden of Strep A disease remains poorly understood.

IVI’s surveillance study in Burkina Faso is helping build evidence on disease burden and improve our understanding of barriers to care. Stronger evidence can lead to improved treatment today and more effective prevention tomorrow.

Read more: https://www.ivi.int/a-traditional-gift-captures-the-impact-of-strep-a-surveillance/

10/09/2026

“Start with why this research matters.”

That was the advice one IVI senior scientific advisor offered a researcher during IVI’s annual All Projects Review—a two-day annual review of all projects across IVI through presentations led by their scientific leads.

Attended by IVI’s leadership and senior management, the review featured more than 60 presentations delivered live from IVI headquarters in Seoul and online from Ghana, Colombia, Sweden, Kenya, and beyond. Researchers shared work spanning disease burden studies, preclinical vaccine development, vaccine platform technologies, clinical trials, and more.

The review asks researchers to communicate not only what they are doing, but why: What gap does the research address? What could the findings contribute? It also helps researchers sharpen how they communicate their work and identify projects that will advance to IVI’s Scientific Advisory Group later this year for further expert review.

By exchanging feedback and asking thoughtful questions about each project, the All Projects Review helps strengthen the research underway across IVI and its global health impact.

08/09/2026

Stronger cholera prevention today can help protect communities for years to come.

After six years, the Enhancing Cholera Control in Mozambique (ECHO-M) project is concluding with lasting gains for cholera prevention and control. In Nampula Province, 200,000 oral cholera vaccine doses were administered, while surveillance was strengthened across five sentinel health facilities.

The project also generated evidence that contributed to the development and roll-out of Mozambique’s National Cholera Plan, while helping strengthen preparedness, early detection, and long-term capacity to prevent and respond to cholera.

ECHO-M is led by IVI’s Dr. Se Eun Park Mozambique’s National Institute of Health, with support from the Korea International Cooperation Agency through the Republic of Korea’s Global Disease Eradication Fund.

Read more: https://www.ivi.int/echo-m-concludes-after-advancing-sustainable-cholera-prevention-and-control-in-mozambique/

08/09/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 class of the IVI International Vaccinology Course!

Over five days in Seoul, Kigali, and Stockholm, participants learned, exchanged perspectives, put ideas into practice, and built new connections as the 25th International Vaccinology Course came to a close last week.

Before graduation, we asked participants to reflect on what stood out to them and what they will take back to their work. Here are a few of their voices, alongside moments from across our three course sites.

We are grateful to the faculty members who shared their time, expertise, and experience throughout the week; to our co-hosts, the University of Rwanda and Karolinska Institutet; and to this year’s sponsors: CEPI; East African Community Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization and Health Supply Chain Management; Gates Foundation; Hilleman Laboratories; Korea Support Committee for IVI; EuBiologics; Moderna; Pfizer; and Sanofi.

Most of all, congratulations to this year’s participants. We look forward to seeing how you carry the knowledge, perspectives, and connections from into your work and communities.

07/09/2026

IVI warmly congratulates our Board of Trustees Chairperson, Professor Helen Rees, on receiving the National Research Foundation of South Africa’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award. Her extraordinary leadership and commitment to health equity continue to inspire our shared mission to make the benefits of vaccination available to everyone, everywhere.

In recognition of extraordinary contributions to the development of science in and for South Africa over an extended period of time. Congratulations to the NRF’s two Lifetime Awardees.
• Prof Jonathan Jansen, Stellenbosch University
• Prof Helen Rees, Wits - University of the Witwatersrand
Wits RHI

07/09/2026

Meet the 2026 IVI Vaccinology Fellows.

Each year, the IVI Vaccinology Fellowship supports promising vaccine professionals from low- and middle-income countries to participate in the International Vaccinology Course and connect with a global community of experts, peers, and future collaborators.

This year’s fellows shared their research during poster sessions in Seoul, Kigali, and Stockholm—exchanging ideas, receiving feedback, and learning from the diverse research questions and public health challenges their peers are working to address around the world.

Hear from some of this year’s 30 fellows about their research, their experience at the course, and the perspectives and connections they are taking with them from .

04/09/2026

What does a day at the International Vaccinology Course in Kigali look like?

It looks like group work and lively discussions, new ideas shared across the room, and 100 participants from 20 nationalities bringing their experiences and perspectives to the course.

Co-hosted with the University of Rwanda, the Kigali course has brought together participants with remarkably different backgrounds. Some work in veterinary science, others are doctoral students in vaccinology, medical anthropologists, preclinical researchers, and professionals contributing to vaccine development and delivery.

Among the participants are 11 Vaccinology Fellows and 13 scholars supported by the East African Community Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization, and Health Supply Chain Management.

The course also welcomed colleagues from The Biovac Institute, the South African Medical Research Council, and five clinical trial sites participating in an IVI-supported phase I/III oral cholera vaccine trial in South Africa, connecting classroom learning with groundbreaking vaccine research and development underway across the region.

As the week drew to a close, IVI’s Africa Regional Director Prof. Nicaise Ndembi asked participants to reflect on what they would take away with them. One response captured a theme that has resonated throughout the week: "As vaccine users, we should not just be consumers of vaccines but producers right here in Africa.”

Prof. Ndembi encouraged participants to leave the course feeling empowered to be strong advocates for global health and vaccine development.

And of course, much of what makes a course like this special happens simply by being together: trading different perspectives, making connections across countries and disciplines, and making plans to continue these conversations.

04/09/2026

The International Vaccinology Course extends beyond the classroom.

In Seoul and Kigali, site visits gave participants the opportunity to see firsthand how different parts of the vaccine and public health ecosystem operate—from disease surveillance and clinical research to vaccine manufacturing, biomedical research, and training.

In Kigali, participants visited a manufacturing facility and the Center for Family Health Research, a clinical trial site. In Seoul, participants visited the Korea National Institute of Biomedical Research and Training (KNIBRT) Center.

These visits connect what participants are learning throughout the week with vaccinology in practice, offering a closer look at the institutions, infrastructure, and people working across the vaccine ecosystem.

04/09/2026

IVI was proud to welcome 21 interns from around the world to our headquarters in Seoul this summer. Across the institute, they brought curiosity, fresh perspectives, and tremendous energy—contributing to meaningful projects while gaining hands-on experience in global health alongside colleagues across scientific, programmatic, and operational areas.

To all our interns: thank you for choosing to spend part of your educational journey with IVI. We are grateful for your contributions, ideas, and enthusiasm, and we look forward to seeing where your experiences take you next.

04/09/2026

How do you approach finding a mentor? Has mentorship helped you get where you are in your career today.

These were some of the questions raised by a participant during the Careers in Vaccinology panel, a signature session of the International Vaccinology Course.

In Seoul, Kigali, and Stockholm, IVI scientists and senior professionals from the public, private, and academic sectors reflected on their career journeys, the challenges and opportunities that shaped them, and the lessons learned along the way.

The conversations then opened up to participants, offering them a chance to ask questions and hear directly from professionals working across the many fields that contribute to vaccinology.