Ministry of Health and Welfare

MOHW and IVI sign MOU to expand partnership to promote vaccine development and delivery, biomanufacturing training for LMICs
보건복지부, 국제백신연구소(IVI)와 양해각서(MOU) 체결

PRESS RELEASE
April 1, 2022


The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) exchanged a memorandum of understanding on April 1, agreeing to strengthen cooperation to promote the development and delivery of vaccines and biomanufacturing workforce training for low and middle-income countries (LMICs) to help advance global health, reduce global vaccine inequality, and support support vaccine research.

The MOU, which replaces their 2017 MOU to broaden areas of cooperation, was exchanged at a signing ceremony at IVI headquarters in Seoul on April 1. In attendance at the ceremony were Minister of Health and Welfare Dr. Kwon Deok-cheol, IVI Director General Dr. Jerome Kim, Deputy Director General and others.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is striving to expand vaccine development and production capacity as part of the government’s global vaccine hub strategy since 2021. In February, Korea was selected as WHO’s global biomanufacturing workforce training hub based on vaccine production capacity and infrastructure.

The International Vaccine Institute has experience with oral cholera vaccine and technology transfer, as well as cooperation with Korean companies for development of vaccines and therapeutics for COVID-19.

This year, IVI will be participating in steering committee for WHO global biomanufacturing workforce training hub. IVI will also operate Global Bio-Intensive Training Courses, the first of its kind, this year to train 450 professionals from LMICs and Korea in vaccine and biomanufacturing with funding support from MOHW.

With the signing of this MOU, the two institutions agreed to expand cooperation in areas such as training biomanufacturing workforce and building global network.

“In pandemic, no one is safe until everyone is safe. We have realized that solidarity and cooperation of all mankind is most important in addressing the global health crisis,” said Minister of Health and Welfare Dr. Kwon Deok-cheol. “IVI’s mission of developing and delivering vaccines to LMICs shares the common goal with the Korean government’s vaccine hub strategy in that both will contribute to reducing vaccine inequality around the world. As MOHW and IVI join forces, I am confident we will generate bigger impact and contribute to pandemic preparedness.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has demanded IVI and Korea elevate their cooperation to a new level,” said IVI Director General Dr. Jerome Kim. “In the face of the pandemic, the world also recognized the need to improve vaccine production and distributioin to ensure vaccine equity. Korea is emerging as a global vaccine powerhouse and was designated as a bio workforce training hub by the WHO. Korea and IVI have shared interest, and are poised to synergize in their efforts to secure vaccine equity, global health security and advance global health.”


// For inquiries contact Global Media Relations, Ministry of Health and Welfare at 044-202-2047 or fairytale@korea.kr


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