On 20 January 2026, Covid-19 Theme-based Research Project (TRS) and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute (HKJCGHI) successfully convened a hybrid lecture titled “Vaccine Process Development”, delivered by Dr Ravi Ganapathy, PhD, Senior Director of Vaccine Process Development at the International Vaccine Institute (IVI). The session provided a comprehensive overview of how vaccine candidates are translated from laboratory concepts into robust, large‑scale manufacturing processes suitable for global deployment, and attracted engagement from the community, with around 50 participants attending in person and a further 32 joining online.

Dr Ganapathy highlighted why strong process development is essential to vaccine success, particularly as vaccines are produced at large scale and must meet high standards of safety, quality, and effectiveness. He guided participants through the overall vaccine development journey, from early discovery and clinical development to manufacturing, explaining how different stages require increasing levels of process understanding and quality control. The lecture also introduced key aspects of vaccine manufacturing, including upstream and downstream processes, and discussed how modern platform technologies, single‑use systems, and improved process monitoring are helping to make vaccine production faster, more scalable, and more reliable, supporting timely and equitable access to vaccines worldwide.

The lecture offered valuable insights for researchers, clinicians, and public health professionals involved in vaccine R&D, manufacturing, and policy, reinforcing the role of strong process development in delivering safe, effective, and affordable vaccines for global health. The themes discussed closely align with HKJCGHI’s dedicated Vaccine Process Development workstream, which advances research, training, and cross‑disciplinary collaboration to strengthen vaccine development and manufacturing capacity globally.

The presentation deck can be downloaded here (until 6 April 2026).