The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Wellcome announced Wednesday that they would commit a total of $300 million to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations in support of its COVID-19 response and epidemic preparedness work.
The details: The Gates Foundation and Wellcome each pledged $150 million to CEPI, a global health partnership launched in 2017 with the help of the two foundations — along with the World Economic Forum and the governments of Germany, India, Japan, and Norway — to expedite the development of vaccines and help prevent disease outbreaks and epidemics.
The additional funding will go toward the implementation of CEPI’s five-year plan to “better prepare for, prevent, and equitably respond to future epidemics and pandemics.” Both foundations cited the ongoing spread of COVID-19 as a reason to boost funding for vaccine development.