Deadline: 31-Mar-23

The Partnerships for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) is proud to announce the second sponsored short course, in partnership with Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).

This will include sponsorship for 24 vaccine manufacturing professionals to complete four short courses at the Texas A&M National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing in College Station, Texas.

A key pillar of this mandate seeks to expand the local manufacture of vaccines, diagnostics, and therapeutics. Less than one percent of vaccines administered on the continent are manufactured locally. The PAVM was established by the AU, under the Africa CDC, in 2021 to deliver a bold goal: enabling the African vaccine manufacturing industry to develop, produce, and supply over 60 percent of the total vaccine doses required on the continent by 2040.

Scaling vaccine manufacturing and R&D across the continent to meet the AU’s 2040 ambitions will require quadrupling the vaccine workforce to approximately 12,500 full-time employees (FTEs). To respond to the immediate vaccine manufacturing talent needs and actualize the short-term vision, Africa CDC in collaboration with Texas A & M University National Centre for Therapeutics Manufacturing (NCTM) is organizing short-term course trainings relevant to biopharmaceutical manufacturing.

Financing

The selected candidates will be fully funded by the Africa CDC with the support of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) of the United States of America. The funding includes:

• Tuition fees at the Texas A & M University.
• Return tickets from home country to Texas, USA.
• Accommodation and Daily subsistence allowances (DSA) for the duration of the trainings.
• Visa fees reimbursements.
• Documents to facilitate the visa application.

Overview of Africa CDC and BARDA-sponsored Texas A&M courses

• Course 1: Advanced certificate in biopharmaceutical manufacturing
  • Course content overview:
    • Therapeutics Manufacturing: Past, present, and future.
    • Understanding the Science of the Biopharmaceutical Industry.
    • cGMP procedures and Documentation.
    • Pharmaceutical Facility Operations.
    • Safety in the Biopharmaceutical Industry.
  • Duration: 3 weeks (1 week online and 2-weeks onsite).
  • Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes.
  • Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year.
  • Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree (At least 2 years of study – completed degree not necessary).
  • Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred.
  • Profiles of trainees: Entry level upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers.
• Course 2: Biomanufacturing of vectors for gene therapy.
  • Course content overview:
    • Gene Therapy Overview.
    • Products, Vectors, Process and Equipment, Introduction to cGMP and Biosafety.
  • Upstream.
    • Transient Transfection of Sf9 cells, Single Use Bioreactors, Reusable Bioreactors, Cell growth in Bioreactors, Monitoring Bioreactors, Methods to produce Gene Therapy Vectors, Production of AAV2-GFP using Baculovirus and Sf9 cells.
  • Downstream
    • Vector Harvest and Recovery, Chromatography for AV2 Purification, Ultrafiltration for concetration and Diafilatration.
  • Analytical
    • AAV Methods of Quantification, qPCR, SDS-PAGE.
  • Duration: 4 days onsite.
  • Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes.
  • Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year.
  • Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree.
  • Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred.
  • Profiles of trainees: Upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers.
• Course 3: mRNA Vaccine manufacturing course.
  • Course content overview:
    • Overview of mRNA vaccine manufacturing.
  • Duration: 4 days onsite.
  • Practical/ hands-on training available: Yes.
  • Minimum years of experience in biopharma manufacturing required: 1 year.
  • Minimum education level: Bachelor’s degree.
  • Prior courses studied: Participants having studied Basic Cell biology, Chemistry or Microbiology preferred.
  • Profiles of trainees: Upstream/ downstream/ QC process engineers.

Eligibility criteria for the short-course trainings.

• Citizen of an African Union Member state.
• Working in the field of vaccine manufacturing, regulation, academia
• Must possess a valid passport.
• Must be available to participate to the Training in Texas, USA.
• Must be proficient in English.

Selection process

The Africa CDC PAVM will set up a committee to review all applications, and only those selected will be contacted for further processes. Only 24 candidates will be selected.

For more information, visit Africa CDC.