Africa: Gavi Launches 'Infuse' Initiative to Overcome Barriers to Immunisation
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance today called for proven-concept innovations from entrepreneurs and companies that could drive improvements in immunisation in developing countries. The Geneva-based public-private partnership will identify the most promising concepts and technologies and connect them with influential public and private sector leaders.
At the World Economic Forum's annual meeting, Gavi hosted global business leaders, government officials and high-tech innovators to introduce Innovation for Uptake, Scale and Equity in immunisation (INFUSE) - an initiative focused on overcoming the obstacles that lead to almost 19 million children per year not receiving a full course of the most basic vaccines. Gavi CEO Dr Seth Berkley highlighted the importance of harnessing new thinking, potentially from innovators outside the immunisation and global health fields, to reach more children with vaccines.
The INFUSE topic for 2016 is immunisation data availability, quality, and use - a fundamental step to building an efficient and sustainable immunisation systems in developing countries. Gavi will welcome data-related proposals of projects that are either already operating or have completed their pilot phase. Gavi will encourage new partnerships to enable a small number of successful projects to help bridge the gap between pilot phase, small-scale implementation and regional or global scale- up.
"I am excited that Gavi is ready to embrace new and diverse thinking to solve the challenges that are preventing us from reaching children with vaccines," said Dr Berkley. "Data is absolutely critical to health as it enables us to track both people and diseases. We are looking forward to exploring new possibilities for capturing and using data in the countries we work with."
INFUSE is open to local and global entrepreneurs, corporations, and implementers with a proven-to-work technology or implementation innovation enhancing data availability, quality, or use, that could be adapted to the broad developing country context. These could include solutions ranging from better tools and training resources for local health workers to track vaccinated children at the point of care, to the application of emerging "deep data" concepts to identify resource gaps and areas for improving health and immunization systems.
By connecting innovators with influential public and private sector figures, Gavi hopes to accelerate the use of proven-concept innovations to modernise immunisation delivery. Those interested in joining INFUSE can apply online at infuse.gavi.org.
Data is absolutely critical to health as it enables us to track both people and diseases. We are looking forward to exploring new possibilities for capturing and using data in the countries we work with.
Gavi plays a pivotal role in encouraging innovation in the vaccine industry, allowing developing countries to access safe and effective vaccines at affordable prices. Gavi is keen to build upon this success, and leverage private sector innovation to improve immunisation systems in developing countries.
Gavi's relationship with UPS is an example of a successful private sector partnership. An agreement announced at Davos in 2015 has seen the global logistics supplier leverage the expertise of its Global Healthcare Logistics Strategy Group to develop and implement an executive training and mentorship programme in the East African Community Centre of Excellence for Health Supply Chain Management. This initiative aims to enhance the capability of local supply chain leaders to build robust immunisation supply chains. UPS will renew its partnership with Gavi for 2016 with a focus on scaling up the initiative in West Africa.
"This year, UPS looks forward to further strengthening its relationship with Gavi to find innovative solutions to ensure vaccines can reach children anywhere in the world," said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation and chief diversity and inclusion officer at UPS.
"This partnership demonstrates the added-value that the private sector can deliver in supplementing existing efforts, as UPS's expertise has enhanced training facilities in East Africa. I am looking forward to deepening our relationship," added Dr Berkley.
Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is funded by governments (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Spain, the State of Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States), the European Commission, Alwaleed Philanthropies, the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Majid Al Futtaim, as well as private and corporate partners (Absolute Return for Kids, Anglo American plc., the A&A Foundation, The Children's Investment Fund Foundation, Comic Relief, the ELMA Vaccines and Immunization Foundation, The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (IFPW), the Gulf Youth Alliance, JP Morgan, "la Caixa" Foundation, LDS Charities, Lions Clubs International Foundation, UPS and Vodafone.
