CEPI calls for experts to join its Scientific Advisory Committee

CEPI’s call for new individuals to join its Scientific Advisory Committee, or SAC —an external expert group providing guidance and recommendations to CEPI on R&D programmes and broader outbreak response efforts—is now open through 9 April 2024. 

CEPI is recruiting global health professionals with extensive experience across relevant scientific and product development disciplines to join its SAC, and is particularly interested in applicants from Latin America and Africa; female applicants are especially encouraged to apply. 

Successful applicants’ scientific input, guidance and challenge will be critical in the continued implementation of the CEPI 2.0 strategy, which aims to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biological countermeasures to tackle emerging infectious diseases and enhance global preparedness for future threats.

New members’ terms will last three years, starting in June 2024, with the first face-to-face meeting taking place in Rio de Janeiro from 31 July to 1 August. Virtual participation will be made available for anyone unable to travel at this time.

Interested individuals can apply using our online form linked here.

Advancing vaccines and other countermeasures to stop the next outbreak

Set up after the West African Ebola epidemic, CEPI launched in 2017 as a public-private partnership to develop vaccines against future epidemics. Its mission is to accelerate the development of vaccines and other biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats so they can be accessible to all people in need.

Operating as both a funder and facilitator within the vaccine R&D ecosystem, CEPI’s initial focus, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, was to advance vaccine R&D programmes against its priority diseases: Chikungunya, Ebola, Disease X, Lassa fever, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Nipah and Rift Valley Fever. CEPI has over 20 vaccine candidates against these pathogens in development. CEPI has also invested in new platform technologies for rapid vaccine development against unknown pathogens (Disease X) and has supported enabling sciences activities, including within epidemiology and biological standardisation efforts, to guide and ultimately accelerate our vaccine R&D efforts.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CEPI played a central role in supporting the development of the world’s largest portfolio of vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 and its variants with a focus on speed, scale and access, as well as co-leading COVAX, the global initiative to deliver fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. CEPI is also the world’s leading funder of R&D for broadly protective coronavirus vaccines, which could protect against future variants of COVID-19 and other coronaviruses with epidemic and pandemic potential.

CEPI has now embarked upon an ambitious five-year plan – called CEPI 2.0 – to dramatically reduce or even eliminate the future risk of pandemics and epidemics. Central to the plan is CEPI’s goal – embraced by the G7 and G20 – to compress the time taken to develop safe, effective, globally accessible vaccines against new threats to just 100 days. Achieving this ‘100 Days Mission’ would give the world a fighting chance of containing a future outbreak before it spreads to become a global pandemic. 

Experts to advise and guide the coalition

The SAC is an independent body within CEPI and is one of CEPI’s core governance groups alongside the Board, Investors Council, and Joint Coordination Group.

Working in a personal capacity, members of the SAC meet at least quarterly (twice in person and twice virtually) to provide world-class scientific input and recommendations to CEPI staff and the Board. This includes advising on a diversity of issues related to vaccine research and development and manufacturing to support the effective implementation of CEPI’s strategic objectives. The SAC has no executive function in the operations of CEPI but plays a critical advisory role.

Requests for guidance from the SAC may include but are not limited to:

• Recommending pathogens against which CEPI will focus vaccine development efforts.
• Advising on change of priorities in the event of public health emergencies or significant events caused by emerging pathogens with epidemic potential.
• Updating the CEPI Leadership on important developments in science and technology relevant to CEPI’s mission.
• Advising on the scope, objectives, and approach of Calls for Proposals (CFPs) and the process for selection of fundable proposals.
• Reviewing proposals submitted in response to CEPI CFPs.
• Monitoring scientific and development progress of CEPI’s vaccine portfolio and reviewing the overall quality of CEPI’s scientific operations.
• Participating in external communications activities designed to raise awareness of, and explain the science behind, CEPI’s work.

Apply Today

The review process will begin immediately after closure of the application window on Tuesday, 9 April 2024, at 23:59 GMT. The decision on appointments to the SAC will be made by the CEPI Board.

Candidates will be notified of the outcome of their application in May. If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].