• Hartvelt advocated for the creation of IVI as UNDP initiative, in collaboration with Prof. Seung-il Shin
• Park, President of the Korea Support Committee for IVI, participated in Korea’s Bid Committee to host IVI in 1990s

October 10, 2024, SEOUL, Republic of Korea – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) held the 2024 IVI Founders Medal Award Ceremony at its headquarter in Seoul, celebrating its 27th anniversary. IVI honored Dr. Frank Hartvelt and Prof. Sang Chul Park with the sixth and seventh Founders Medals for their extraordinary contributions to the founding of IVI as an international organization in 1997 and the development of the Institute throughout its history.

Dr. Frank Hartvelt, who served as the United Nations Development Program (UNDP)’s representative at the Children’s Vaccine Initiative (CVI) in the 1990s, played a pivotal role in IVI’s founding by advocating for the creation of IVI as an initiative of UNDP while working closely with Prof. Seung-il Shin, who received the IVI Founders Medal in 2022 and served as the Director of UNDP’s IVI Project in the 1990s.

Dr. Frank Hartvelt said: “I am very honored to receive the 2024 IVI Founders Medal. The extraordinary development and success of IVI has been a lasting gift to children in poor countries. I wish IVI and its team of national and international scientists continued success in their mission to increase immunization for children in poor countries.”

Prof. Sang Chul Park, a leading expert in aging science and the current President of the Korea Support Committee for IVI, was involved in Korea’s Bid Committee to host IVI in the 1990s and was part of the selection committee that appointed IVI’s inaugural Director General. He has also served as a board member of the committee before being elected and inaugurated as the Chair of its Board of Trustees in 2017 and President in 2018.

Prof. Sang Chul Park said: “I am proud that since the COVID-19 pandemic, IVI has strengthened its collaborative relationships not only with the academic community but also with industry, strengthening its position as an international center for vaccine development. I wish that IVI will further expand its collaborative systems with vaccine-related research institutes, both in Korea and globally, to solidify itself as a center of excellence in global vaccine research.”

The award ceremony featured opening remarks by Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, followed by congratulatory remarks by Mr. George Bickerstaff, Chair of the IVI Board of Trustees. Dr. Hartvelt shared a letter of acceptance with IVI, and Prof. Park delivered an acceptance speech in person during the ceremony. The event concluded with a music performance by IVI Giving Ambassador violinist Lee Sang Hee & Friends.

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About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a non-profit international organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health.

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines at all stages of pre-clinical and clinical development for infectious diseases that disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, such as cholera, typhoid, chikungunya, shigella, salmonella, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV, COVID-19, and more. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine, pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO), and developed a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine that also achieved WHO prequalification in early 2024.

IVI is headquartered in Seoul, Republic of Korea with a Europe Regional Office in Sweden, an Africa Regional Office in Rwanda, a Country Office in Austria, and a Country and Project Office in Kenya. IVI additionally co-founded the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute in Hong Kong and hosts Collaborating Centers in Ghana, Ethiopia, and Madagascar. 42 countries and the WHO are members of IVI, and the governments of the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, Austria, and Thailand provide state funding. For more information, please visit https://www.ivi.int.