The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Korea Vaccine Center for Assisting Safety & Technology (K-VCAST) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on training of professionals, knowledge sharing, and regulatory affairs education in the field of vaccines and biopharmaceuticals.

K-VCAST was inaugurated in November 2022 under the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and provides technical support for clinical trial sample analysis, vaccine quality inspection and commercialisation, and supports the rapid development of domestically developed vaccines by distributing cell lines for vaccine production.

Under the agreement, the two organisations will cooperate in the following areas: (1) training for building the capacity and expertise of professionals in development of vaccine and biopharmaceuticals; (2) exchange of knowledge and information on the latest development trend, advances and best practices in vaccines and biopharmaceuticals; and (3) conduct of training and workshops on vaccine regulatory processes, compliance and strategies.

Dr Sun Young Baek, Director General of K-VCAST said, “As the crisis from the pandemic comes to a close, our vaccine center and IVI will continue to work together to exchange knowledge accumulated through the pandemic. This agreement that has brought us together will be an important foundation for the development of the global vaccine industry and the safety of vaccines in Korea and worldwide.”

Alice Lee, Director of IVI’s Business Development, said “IVI is actively participating in the Global Training Hub for Biomanufacturing (GTH-B) project, a collaboration between the World Health Organization and the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, to provide training to help strengthen low- and middle-income countries’ capacities to produce biopharmaceuticals."

Image caption- Dr Sun Young Baek (left), Director General of the Korea Vaccine Center for Assisting Safety & Technology (K-VCAST) and Dr Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI