International Vaccine Institute

The Union Cabinet chaired the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to the proposal for India’s taking full membership of the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Governing Council. The move involves payment of annual contribution of $5,00,000 to the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Seoul, South Korea.

International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Seoul, South Korea, established in 1997 on the initiatives of the UNDP, is an international organisation devoted to developing and introducing new and improved vaccines to protect the people, especially children, against deadly infectious diseases. In the year 2007, with the approval of Cabinet, India joined IVI. India is a long-term collaborator and stake-holder of IVI. In December, 2012 the Board of Trustees (BOT) of IVI approved the formation of its new governance structure.

As per the new governance structure of IVI, a member State has to contribute to the IVI by paying a portion of its core budget. Since India is classified in Group-I, it has to pay an annual contribution of $ 50,000. Created initially as an initiative of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), IVI began formal operations as an independent international organization in 1997 in Seoul, Republic of Korea. Currently, IVI has 40 countries and the World Health Organization (WHO) as signatories to its Establishment Agreement.

The Institute has a unique mandate to work exclusively on vaccine development and introduction specifically for people in developing countries, with a focus on neglected diseases affecting these regions. Working in collaboration with the international scientific community, public health organizations, governments, and industry, IVI is involved in all areas of the vaccine spectrum – from new vaccine design in the laboratory to vaccine development and evaluation in the field to facilitating sustainable introduction of vaccines in countries where they are most needed.

The IVI has mainly divided its works into 5 divisions: 1) Development and Communications Division (D&C), 2) Administration and Finance Division (A&F), 3) Laboratory Sciences Division (LSD), 4) Translational Research Division (TRD), and 5) Dengue Vaccine Initiative (DVI). Nevertheless, among these 5 divisions, Laboratory Sciences Division (LSD) and Translational Research Division (TRD) are the most important teams that conduct several experiments and vaccine programs of the IVI. To combat infectious diseases through innovations in vaccine design, development, and introduction, addressing the needs of people in developing is the main mission of the IVI.