The UK-Southeast Asia Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub (UK-SEA Vax Hub), funded by the UK’s Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), successfully hosted its 2nd All-Partners Regional Meeting at Monash University Malaysia from 18 – 20 June 2025. The event marked a significant step forward in strengthening Southeast Asia’s vaccine ecosystem through regional collaboration, capacity building, and sustainable innovation.
Co-organised with the Malaysian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), the Ministry of Health (MOH), Monash University Malaysia, the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC), the Chula Vaccine Research Centre (ChulaVRC), and Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute (NVI), the meeting drew over 150 delegates from across the region and beyond, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, China, South Korea, South Africa, Bangladesh, and the UK.
The meeting was officially opened by YB Dato’ Haji Mohammad Yusof bin Apdal, Deputy Minister of MOSTI, and attended by key dignitaries including His Excellency Ajay Sharma, British High Commissioner to Malaysia, along with representatives from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).
The three-day programme featured oral and poster presentations, dynamic panel discussions, and interactive audience engagement sessions. It also provided a valuable platform for early career researchers from Southeast Asia to connect, learn, and showcase their work.
Industrial sponsors supporting the event included ProBio, GenScript, Integrated DNA Technologies, Beckman Coulter, CellRev, Cytiva, Corning, and Eppendorf, reflecting strong industrial commitment to advancing vaccine R&D and manufacturing in the region.
“It was a tremendous gathering, witnessing the Southeast Asian community unite around the shared goal of advancing vaccine research and manufacturing. If we continue building on this momentum, Southeast Asia is well on its way to becoming a global powerhouse in vaccine innovation and self-reliance.”
Professor Tuck Seng Wong
Director of the UK-SEA Vax Hub