International Vaccine Institute Opens an Austrian Office

PeopleDiplomats ♦ Published: January 26, 2023; 17:56 ♦ (Vindobona)

International Vaccine Institute (IVI), an international health organization dedicated to developing, delivering, and evaluating vaccines for global health, announced the opening of its Austrian Country Office.

International Vaccine Institute (IVI) Headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons / Mccannc, CC BY-SA 4.0

This new office signals a step forward for Austria's commitment to increase efforts in vaccine research and development and for IVI's determination to work closely with the Austrian government, the local research network, and the biomedical industry.

Dr. Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, said, that he is "thrilled to share that IVI has launched its Austria Country Office in the country’s capital, well established in areas of international cooperation and eager to advance its growing R&D ecosystem."

As well as IVI's Europe Regional Office in Stockholm, these two sites will generate grant proposals with local partners and mobilize collaborative vaccine R&D projects for global health. Kimm expressed that he is, "deeply thankful to the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria for supporting the opening of this office." The Foreign Minister of Austria, Alexander Schallenberg, said, “Austria continues to live up to its reputation as a place of encounter and international dialogue, now also increasingly in the field of vaccine research. The Vienna office will be strengthened by the location of the IVI branch and the contribution of international organizations to value creation in Austria will be increased.”

As reported by Vindobona.org, Director General Kim and H.E. Wolfgang Angerholzer, Ambassador of Austria to the Republic of Korea, signed a headquarters agreement at IVI headquarters in Seoul, Republic of Korea, which secures IVI's status as an international company under the umbrella of the Austrian government.

IVI is an international non-profit organization established in 1997 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme, Vindobona.org reported. As of now, 39 countries have signed the founding treaty of IVI, and Austria is in the process of applying for membership. Austria's Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA) plans to invest 860,000 euros per year in IVI, helping to develop vaccines across Europe and internationally. Denmark has made a core contribution of 4 million Danish kroner in 2022, and the governments of Korea, Sweden, India, and Finland are currently providing government funding.

BMEIA

IVI