31 August 2026, SEOUL, KIGALI, AND STOCKHOLM – The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) today opened its 25th International Vaccinology Course, marking a milestone for IVI’s flagship training program covering the full spectrum of vaccinology, from vaccine science and development to delivery and use. Established in 2000, it is now one of Asia’s longest-running courses of its kind and has since expanded into a global program connecting vaccine professionals across continents.

Taking place from 31 August to 4 September 2026, the five-day intensive course brings together 200 vaccine professionals from 55 countries for one global course delivered across three sites in countries that host an IVI office: IVI headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea; Kigali, Rwanda, in partnership with the University of Rwanda; and Stockholm, Sweden, in partnership with Karolinska Institutet.

This year’s theme, “Vaccines for a Connected World: A One Health Perspective,” reflects the increasingly interconnected nature of global health and the importance of collaboration across disciplines, sectors, and borders. Recognizing the close connections among human, animal, and environmental health, the course explores how integrated approaches spanning vaccination, surveillance, research, and policy can strengthen preparedness, advance global health security, and support more effective responses to emerging and persistent public health challenges.

Dr. Jessica Cowden, Deputy Director General of Clinical, Assessment, Regulatory, and Evaluation at IVI and Global Course Director of the 25th International Vaccinology Course, said: “For 25 years, the International Vaccinology Course has been an important part of IVI’s commitment to strengthening the people, institutions, and partnerships that make vaccine development and delivery possible. Its strength has always been its ability to bring together people with different expertise and perspectives around a shared goal: using vaccines to improve health. This year’s One Health theme challenges us to look beyond individual diseases and disciplines and consider the connections among human, animal, and environmental health. By learning together across Seoul, Kigali, and Stockholm, participants are not only gaining practical knowledge in vaccinology but also building the relationships and networks that are essential to addressing urgent public health challenges.”

Lectures are broadcast live across the three sites to create a shared learning experience, while participants also take part in locally organized case studies, networking opportunities, and visits to vaccine manufacturing, research, and other relevant facilities. World-renowned experts from fields including vaccinology, immunology, epidemiology, communication, and related disciplines serve as faculty members.

A central component of the course is the IVI Vaccinology Fellowship program, which supports selected researchers from low- and middle-income countries who demonstrate leadership potential in their home countries and institutions. Thirty Vaccinology Fellows were selected to attend this year’s course across the three sites.

The course also reflects IVI’s partnerships with its member countries and regional institutions to strengthen vaccine capacity. Through their partnerships with IVI, the governments of India, Thailand, and the Philippines are providing scholarships for participants from their respective countries to attend the course, supporting the development of vaccine expertise as part of their broader support for IVI’s mission. The East African Community is also generously supporting 13 participants to attend the Kigali course, contributing to efforts to strengthen the vaccine workforce across the region.

IVI thanks its co-hosts, the University of Rwanda and Karolinska Institutet, whose continued partnership makes it possible to deliver the International Vaccinology Course simultaneously across Asia, Africa, and Europe, combining a shared global curriculum with locally relevant learning and engagement.

This year’s course is generously sponsored by CEPI; East African Community Regional Centre of Excellence for Vaccines, Immunization and Health Supply Chain Management; Gates Foundation; Hilleman Laboratories; Korea Support Committee for IVI; EuBiologics; Moderna; Pfizer; and Sanofi, in addition to IVI’s funding States Parties including the Republic of Korea, Sweden, India, Finland, Austria, and Thailand, whose support helps IVI expand access to vaccinology training and strengthen the global network of vaccine professionals.

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About the International Vaccine Institute (IVI)
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is an independent international organization originally established at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme in 1997. Its mission is to discover, develop, and deliver safe, effective, and affordable vaccines—empowering vaccine equity, impact, and sustainability globally.

IVI’s current portfolio includes vaccines in multiple stages of pre-clinical and clinical development targeting infectious diseases that significantly impact low- and middle-income countries, including cholera, typhoid fever, chikungunya, shigellosis, salmonellosis, schistosomiasis, hepatitis E, HPV- and group A strep-related diseases, and COVID-19. IVI developed the world’s first low-cost oral cholera vaccine and a new-generation typhoid conjugate vaccine, both pre-qualified by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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 Bhutan, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Madagascar. 44 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.

Contact

Kevin Keen, Head of Communications
kevin.keen@ivi.int