The IMVACS Consortium convened its Year 2 Annual Meeting on 22nd– 23rd April 2026 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Lecce, Italy, in a hybrid format.
The meeting was opened by Dr. Dario Scaramuzzi, IMVACS Project Coordinator, together with Prof. Alessandra Ferramosca from the local University of Salento, who welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of international scientific collaboration in the field of global health.
The meeting brought together representatives from all IMVACS partner institutions across Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, including Epicentre/MSF (France), Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine – LSTM (United Kingdom), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako – USTTB (Mali), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique / Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé – CNRST/IRSS (Burkina Faso), and R-Evolution Worldwide Impresa Sociale (Italy).
The opening session was followed by a comprehensive overview of clinical trial implementation in Mali and Burkina Faso, highlighting overall progress, strong field engagement, key operational challenges, and mitigation strategies implemented.
Preliminary results were then presented for both countries, including vaccine doses administered, cross-sectional survey findings (vaccine coverage and malaria prevalence), as well as incidence and safety/pharmacovigilance data.
A key focus of the IMVACS meeting was also the ongoing “twin” R-21 trial in Chad (CoSAV-R21/INTEGREVAC), conducted by Epicentre/MSF. The study evaluates the same integrated vaccination strategy synchronized with seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC) as the IMVACS trial. The meeting therefore provided a platform to exchange field experiences, discuss common challenges, and outline next steps, including the implementation of a booster dose across all three countries.
A dedicated session was also held on financial and technical reporting requirements, led by Dr. Fernando Gallego Giménez, EDCTP Financial Officer for IMVACS.
The meeting also reviewed communication and dissemination activities, stressing the importance of a coordinated publication and dissemination strategy, closely aligned with that of the CoSAV-R21/INTEGREVAC to maximize the project’s impact.
Further sessions addressed formative research, as well as qualitative and quantitative studies, during which preliminary results were presented. Training and capacity-building components were also discussed.
The Annual Meeting concluded with a strategic discussion on the translation of research findings into policy, underlining the importance of flexible, context-specific vaccination approaches and the integration of clinical, economic, and implementation evidence to inform decision-making.
