On 10 November 2025, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute (HKJCGHI) and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI) co-hosted a symposium titled “Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness Through Shared Experiences.” It was attended by 30 participants in-person and more than 50 participants on-line. The event brought together leading public health experts to reflect on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored strategies to be ready to conduct research during emergencies to generate evidence for the development and roll-out of diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.

Dr. Christof Vinnemeier (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations or CEPI) shared CEPI’s 100 Days Mission and its Research Preparedness Program aimed at accelerating outbreak response. This provided a global perspective and highlighted CEPI’s research preparedness work in West- and East-Africa, as well as their plans to expand this work to Asia. Dr. Birkneh Tadesse further elaborated on the work that IVI is conducting with CEPI in West-Africa as part of the Advancing Research Capacity in West Africa (ARC-WA) project, showcasing rapid clinical evidence generation during emergencies.

Dr. Sunate Chuenkitmongkol (National Vaccine Institute, Thailand) provided the national-level perspective in an Asian setting by discussing Thailand’s strategic use of evidence to guide COVID-19 vaccine responses. She emphasized that “a successful vaccine response in a pandemic is never built in a single day. It relies on the capacity we have invested in over time, and the collaboration of every sector. These are the foundation of true pandemic preparedness.”
 

Prof. Florian Marks (HKJCGHI Co-Director & IVI Deputy Director General, EPIC) provided an overview of HKJCGHI and its role in pandemic preparedness and its collaborative efforts to strengthen global health systems.

The symposium concluded with a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Frank Konings, Program Director at HKJCGHI. Dr. Konings opened by emphasizing that “no country is safe until all countries are safe and that health security is a shared responsibility”. This set the stage for a rich discussion in which speakers reflected on how experiences in emergency evidence generation from one region can inform and strengthen preparedness and response in others, particularly between Africa and Asia. Panellists also underscored the importance of moving forward together to amplify impact through synergies between institutions such as CEPI and HKJCGHI.

We thank all speakers and participants for contributing to this important dialogue. In line with the HKJCGHI mission, we will continue to advance global health through partnership, science and innovation for infectious disease control and pandemic preparedness.