Round table in Brussels, 25 November: Building a Sustainable Pandemic Preparedness Ecosystem
Europe has invested heavily in pandemic preparedness since COVID-19. Yet once a crisis passes, many promising technologies, platforms and research results stall.
A vaccine against an outbreak pathogen can be enormously valuable to society and still have little commercial value, because outbreaks are sporadic, local and hard to predict. Without steady demand, good research rarely makes it past the lab.
BE READY’s first high-level round table will tackle this under one question: how can Europe make preparedness research and innovation economically relevant between pandemics?
The round table is organised by WP16 (Accelerating translation of research into innovation and policies) and brings together policymakers, researchers, innovators and international experts, including four members of the BE READY International Advisory Panel who will take part as panellists. The discussion will cover:
- what holds research back from becoming innovation, and where the gaps are
- good practices that already work
- ways to create value both during and between health crises
The goal is concrete recommendations for policymakers, investors and innovators, as well as concrete objectives for the BE READY partnership.
Meet the panellists:
Four members of the BE READY International Advisory Panel will bring their experience in vaccine development, manufacturing and global health partnerships to the discussion.
Olga Pleguezuelos
Vaccine Product Development, Technical & Scientific Consultant
An experienced immunologist and project manager, Olga leads candidate vaccines from discovery through to early clinical stage.
Kai Dallmeier
Professor of Virology, KU Leuven
Kai is co-founder of AstriVax, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on virus-driven cancers.
Shashank R. Pinnapireddy
Team Lead, Manufacturing & Regulatory Preparedness, European Vaccines Hub (EVH)
Shashank is an R&D leader driving vaccine manufacturing scale-up and regulatory readiness for pandemic and public health initiatives.
Saul Walker
Director of Public Partnerships, CEPI
Saul leads CEPI’s collaboration with international and regional partners on rapid vaccine development and equitable access for emerging epidemic and pandemic pathogens. He previously spent 17 years in senior policy and health roles at the UK Department for International Development and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, where he led UK support to the Ebola response in eastern DRC (2019–2020) and UK international support for COVID-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
When and where: 25 November 2026, 9:00–14:00
Herman Teirlinck Building (auditorium), Havenlaan 88, Brussels
Want to join? The event is open to all, but places are limited and registration is required.