The effort to prevent and stem epidemics got a shot in the arm on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, with the launch of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
The coalition, which launched with an initial pool of investment of $460 million, will finance vaccine development as well as research into innovative platforms that could help bring epidemics under control. Members include the governments of Germany, Japan and Norway, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust.
CEPI aims to respond to some of the key challenges exposed by the West Africa Ebola epidemic and improve global health security. It adds to a growing number of initiatives looking at the importance of building responsive health systems. With its launch and call for proposals, it opens up new financing to scientists and vaccine developers focused on often neglected diseases.
Read more on our coverage of the World Economic Forum:
► Pharmaceutical companies launch new initiative to tackle NCDs
► China could gain clout if US backs out of climate commitments, experts say
► How this tech startup drew the attention of Gavi, Gates and Google
► Q&A: Plan International CEO on legitimacy in a moment of populism
► Opinion: What the development community can expect from Davos
About the author
Adva Saldinger@AdvaSal
Adva Saldinger is a Senior Reporter at Devex where she covers development finance, as well as U.S. foreign aid policy. Adva explores the role the private sector and private capital play in development and authors the weekly Devex Invested newsletter bringing the latest news on the role of business and finance in addressing global challenges. A journalist with more than 10 years of experience, she has worked at several newspapers in the U.S. and lived in both Ghana and South Africa.
