CEPI welcomes global leadership shown by government of Norway
Media release, Oslo 08 July 2017 — Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations
CEPI welcomes the vital contribution of additional funding from the government of Norway, which today announced it is increasing its original investment in CEPI by $70m. The government of Norway is a founding investor in CEPI, which will create new vaccines against epidemic threats through an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil organizations.
Together with the governments of Germany and Japan, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome, the founding investors contributed a total of $540m to launch CEPI in January 2017. CEPI's mission is to outsmart epidemics by developing safe and effective vaccines against known infectious diseases that can be deployed rapidly to contain outbreaks, before they become global health emergencies.
Responding to the announcement by the Prime Minister of Norway, Erna Solberg, at the G20 summit, Richard Hatchett, CEO of CEPI said:
Norway was at the forefront of the world's response to Ebola. Its far-sightedness helped facilitate the clinical evaluation of an Ebola vaccine that showed 100% effectiveness. It demonstrated that same spirit when it became a founding investor in CEPI. And today, we thank the government of Norway for this additional vital investment. This is a wonderful example of global leadership that will strengthen our defenses against the diseases that threaten the health, prosperity and security of us all. It is further proof of the momentum within the G20 to support collective action against future epidemics.
In January, CEPI issued a call for proposals to develop vaccines against MERS, Lassa fever and Nipah, diseases highlighted as global threats in the WHO's R&D Blueprint for Action to Prevent Epidemics, and will soon begin funding its first projects. In September, CEPI anticipates releasing its second call for proposals to support the development of rapid response platforms for vaccine development and manufacturing.
Even with today's generous contribution from the government of Norway, CEPI still needs significant additional investment to reach its $1 billion funding goal. With additional funding, CEPI will be able to move faster with our current programs, to be better prepared for emerging threats, and potentially to expand the list of pathogens we address. We call on other governments to follow the example of Norway and CEPI's other founding investors in supporting CEPI's crucial work of creating new vaccines for a safer world.
For media enquiries:
Hannah Isom: Mobile: +44 (0)7860 948 890, Email [email protected]
Charis Gresser: Mobile: +44(0)7469 083 482, Email [email protected]
Notes to editors:
CEPI is an innovative partnership between public, private, philanthropic and civil organizations. It was founded in 2016 by the governments of India and Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Wellcome and the World Economic Forum. To date, CEPI has received investment from the governments of Australia, Belgium, Japan, Norway and Germany, plus the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome. The European Commission has announced a contribution in kind of €250M that will support relevant projects through EC mechanisms. Other partners include multinational pharmaceutical corporations, the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières. www.cepi.net
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