The Vaccine Innovation Prioritisation Strategy (VIPS) represents an unprecedented three-year collaboration between the Gavi Secretariat, World Health Organization (WHO), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and PATH– known as the VIPS Alliance - to develop a single integrated framework to evaluate and prioritise vaccine product innovations and to drive these innovations forward.
Innovative approaches are needed to help to address immunisation barriers and achieve immunisation coverage and equity goals. Vaccine product innovations offer important means to simplify logistics, increase the acceptability and safety of immunisation, minimise missed opportunities, and facilitate outreach. There is increasing recognition of the need to employ targeted solutions to extend vaccine access to reach the unreached.
The VIPS process involved in-depth research, stakeholder consultations, and development and application of a methodology capable of evaluating a variety of technologies at different stages along the product development pipeline continuum. The work required understanding countries’ needs to consider the expected financial and non-financial impacts of innovations; developing common principles across the Alliance to assess the long-term benefits of product innovations; and convening a platform of stakeholders to articulate a clear and aligned perspective on priority innovations.
By prioritising innovations in vaccine products, the goal of VIPS is to provide greater clarity to manufacturers and partners to inform and influence investment decisions. VIPS outcomes also represent a first step to mobilise key decision-makers and funders and chart a strategic pathway forward for the prioritised innovations.
The VIPS – Vaccine Innovation Prioritisation Strategy – process concluded in May 2020 with a decision to prioritise 3 innovations / approaches for which the Alliance will engage in to advance development, policy and access:
- Upstream novel delivery device – Microarray patches,
- A combined formulation, regulatory, and novel programmatic approach to vaccine management – Heat stable and Controlled Temperature Chain qualified vaccines, and
- An implementation/system innovation – Barcodes on primary packaging
The next steps for the VIPS Alliance are to define end-to-end strategies for the three prioritised innovations, including developing clear action plans to accelerate their advancement to uptake and impact.
Ce groupe est destiné aux membres intéressés par les formations de l'OMS Scholar. Que vous ayez participé ou que vous soyez intéressé à participer à l'une des formations, ce groupe vous permet d'obtenir des mises à jour, de partager des informations, d'entrer en contact avec d'autres anciens élèves, d'élargir votre réseau, etc.
This group is for members interested in WHO Scholar courses. Whether you participated or are interested in participating in one of the trainings, this group is your plac to get updates, share information, connect with fellow alumni, etc.
VPPN Membership
Past targeted members
- All participants of the Vaccine Procurement Practitioners Exchange Forums (VPPEF)
- National level stakeholders involved in the vaccine procurement process
- MICs that are self-procuring or plan to move to self-procurement
The idea was to have a closed group to encourage open exchange and to gradually include interested vaccine procurement practitioners from additional countries, as well as other relevant stakeholders and experts.
New membership criteria
- Field of work: role related to vaccine procurement
This includes such people as national buyers, national warehouse stock managers, … - Employer: focus on government stakeholders in Ministries of Health or Finance
- Partners: all intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations (IGOs and NGOs) supporting vaccine procurement
Specific categories
- Private sector companies: should be accepted on a case-by-case basis
- Vaccines suppliers: should be excluded
- UN agencies and donors: are welcome
- Academic institutions and consultants building capacity in vaccine procurement: are also welcome
Next step
Offering group membership, in addition to individual memberships, so that groups such as National Logistics Working Groups could become VPPN members. This could help with the issues of staff turnover and reluctancy to share on the network.
Our Story
The Vaccine Procurement Practitioners Network (VPPN) is a network of senior-level practitioners and technical experts from middle-income countries who exchange knowledge and learn from each other’s experiences online and at face-to-face events. The network was formed following the first Vaccine Procurement Practitioners Exchange Forum (VPPEF) in 2015, hosted by UNICEF Supply Division in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Our Purpose
The purpose of the VPPN is to improve vaccine procurement outcomes for children's health in middle-income countries.
Our Values
Committed to Children: We are a dedicated network, committed to improving child health outcomes.
Knowledge Sharing: We engage in an open exchange of opinions, observations and questions that benefit our fellow professionals facing similar challenges.
Global: We are a global community committed to regular interaction with our fellow members to support the vital work begun during the VPPEF 2015, and continued with VPPEF 2016, 2017, 2018 and upcoming VPPEF 2020.
Expertise: We are a network of senior level government officials and technical experts, focused on sharing our knowledge for the benefit of our fellow members.
Our Partners
These organizations and initiatives work together with UNICEF and the VPPN toward improving national-level immunization practices:
