EVMA - RCCN
About
The unremitting governmental efforts to achieve such goal was interpreted by issuing Prime Minister’s Decree No. 719 of 2024 to formulate a unified strategy for localizing the vaccine industry in Egypt as part of the Medical Industries Localization Committee formed by Prime Minister’s Decree No. 3435 of 2022, where nomination was directed to the Chairman of the Unified Procurement Authority(UPA) , to be the rapporteur of the committee and acts on behalf of the committee’s chairman (the Prime Minister) in chairing its meetings
Focusing on Localizing of Vaccine manufacturing as per the Prime Minister’s Decree No. 719 of 2024, the Egyptian Vaccine Manufacturing Alliance (EVMA) was established, gathering all key stakeholders in the Egyptian market namely; governmental agencies (represented by MOHP, UPA, Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA), Vaccine manufacturers (BPG, VACSERA, GENNVAX, VBC, and others).
The main objectives of EVMA, are to achieve:
- Country immunization sufficiency.
- Working to harmonize the local production of vaccines with African needs.
This was planned to be reached through local and regional capacity Building, increase accessibility of local manufactured vaccine to African Countries and working with WHO to accelerate Prequalification of Local Vaccine Manufacturers.
In line with the goal of Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) for capability building of African workforce, EVMA RCCN
via its members:
- Governmental
- Vaccine manufacturers
- Partners (academia)
had a prominent exciting experience and capacity in providing regional capacity building to meet the continent need along the whole spectrum of vaccine manufacturing.
Vision
- To be the leading regional hub for biomanufacturing excellence in Africa, supporting the development of a sustainable and resilient vaccine industry through world-class training, research, and regulatory capacity building.
Mission
EVMA RCCN will drive the advancement of biomanufacturing capabilities in Africa by
- Providing state-of-the-art training programs to develop highly skilled and capable workers for the vaccine manufacturing industry.
- Fostering collaborative research and development between universities, R&D institutions, and vaccine manufacturers to drive innovation.
- Strengthening the capacity of national regulatory authorities to ensure quality, safety, and efficacy of locally produced vaccines.
- Cultivating a robust ecosystem that connects key stakeholders and enables the sustainable growth of Africa's vaccine industry.
Through these strategic pillars, the center aims to empower Africans to take ownership of their vaccine production capabilities and improve health security and self-reliance across the continent.
The general strategy for EVMA RCCN training center’s future
EVMA RCCN is developing its future strategy in line with the stated Vision and Mission, focusing on needs assessment of capacity in the form of market analysis and focusing on the following points
Develop a comprehensive curriculum for biomanufacturing that covers topics such as:
- Upstream and downstream processing
- Quality control and assurance
- Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)
- Regulatory compliance
Offer a variety of training formats, including:
- Short-term intensive workshops
- Semester-long academic programs
- Hands-on laboratory training
- Online and distance learning courses
- Collaborate with the Faculties of Pharmacy at Cairo University and Ain Shams University to integrate the training programs into their degree offerings
- Establish Joint R&D projects between the center, universities, and vaccine manufacturers to drive innovation in biomanufacturing
- Focus on areas such as process optimization, novel vaccine technologies, and enhancing production efficiency.
- Secure funding from government, industry, and international sources to support the R&D activities.
- Encourage the commercialization of research outputs through technology transfer and start-up incubation.
- Collaborate closely with the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) to provide specialized training for regulatory personnel.
- Develop case studies and best practices for effective regulatory oversight of vaccine manufacturing.
- Facilitate knowledge sharing and networking between the center and other African national regulatory authorities.
- Support the EDA in harmonizing regulatory standards and processes across the region.
- Build strong relationships with the participating vaccine manufacturers (VACSERA, Biogeneric Pharma, VBC Vaccines & Biologicals City, Gennvax).
- Facilitate technology transfer and knowledge sharing between the industry and academic/research partners.
- Develop tailored workforce development programs to address the skills gaps identified by the manufacturers.
- Engage the industry in the design and delivery of the training curricula to ensure relevance and industry-readiness.
- Diversify funding sources, including government grants, industry contributions, and international development aid.
- Explore revenue-generating models, such as fee-based training programs and contract research services.
- Implement robust financial management and cost-control measures to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the center.
- Foster regional and international partnerships with other RCCNs and research institutions.
- Organize conferences, workshops, and networking events to facilitate knowledge exchange and collaboration.
- Develop an online portal and community platform to connect stakeholders and share
