URGENT: Applications sought for the COVAX Independent Product Group

Application deadline extended: 17 July 2020

The COVAX Pillar – one of the four pillars of the Act-Accelerator – are seeking applications for its expert Independent Product Group.

Objectives

The Independent Product Group will be set up with the aim of establishing an independent process to advise the COVAX Facility and the COVAX Pillar more broadly on the candidates likelihood of meeting threshold criteria for purchase by the Facility, and subsequently, whether those criteria are met. Meeting those criteria would inform the criteria for purchase, along with e.g. price.

The working group is established with a program of work to:

1. Review the data and information on all candidate vaccines proposed for procurement by the COVAX Facility, using the a priori defined attributes and criteria including agreed target product profiles, and review manufacturing data for scalability and quality;
2. Provide individual scores for each candidate vaccine and a recommendation on the pertinence of prioritizing one or more given candidates for procurement including if there are vaccines more appropriate for some populations or use in some settings;
3. Provide continuous review (monthly) of the potential timing and numbers of doses meeting threshold criteria that might become available
4. Support COVAX Facility portfolio management and advise whether pivots to incorporate additional vaccines are required to ensure all high potential products are covered and that enough doses will be available in the desired time frames.

Expertise required

The Working Group will be composed by 5-7 experts. Independent expertise in the following areas is sought:

• Coronavirus vaccines and/or COVID-19 vaccines
• Animal models and assays for vaccine evaluation
• Clinical evaluation of vaccines including vaccine evaluation in large randomised clinical trials
• Regulatory expertise in vaccine evaluation
• Vaccine manufacturing and GMP issues
• Epidemiology/public health expertise
• Expertise in immunization programmes and service delivery
• Vaccine safety evaluation and monitoring

More information can be viewed under ACT Accelerator COVAX Pillar – Independent Product Group on the CEPI Call for Proposals page.

Applications should be sent by email to khari@gavi.org with a Curriculum Vitae, indicating area of expertise, years of experience and current involvement, if any, in COVID vaccines development and evaluation.