As we cross the finish line on our first year of the Rapid Response Partnership Vehicle (RRPV), we have so much to celebrate! The RRPV has grown into a robust consortium of members from academia, non-profit organizations, large, and small business, all committed to facilitating research and development of future medical countermeasures (MCM) products. The RRPV is proud of the milestones we have achieved over the past year, as we have made significant strides to advancing our mission.

A Year of Growth and Achievement

Since the kickoff of this new program, we've welcomed over 395 member organizations that bring in their expertise in the Vaccines, Therapeutics, and Medical Technology space. Our efforts have accelerated partnerships between industry members as well as government and industry, improved responsiveness, and addressed the increasing demand for the development of MCM products. Through these accomplishments, the consortium has the bolstered health security of our nation and enhanced preparedness to ensure we meet future health challenges head-on. As we continue our work, we are committed to ensuring a rapid response to future pandemics and public health emergencies.

Highlights of our first year include:



• Funding & Research Projects: In our first year, 15 Requests for Project Proposals have been released. We have awarded 10 projects that are contributing to advancements in areas such as decentralized clinical trials, NextGen vaccine development, diagnostics, and other enabling technologies. 
• Membership Meetings and Industry Days: Our Inaugural General Membership Meeting held in Washington, DC on August 13-14th was a great success and brought together key stakeholders from government and industry. Through our requirement-focused Industry Days, we've hosted technical representatives from BARDA who've shared their insights on the needs and challenges they are seeing and facilitated collaboration between organizations with the technical know-how to address these challenges.
• Collaboration: This year, we forged significant partnerships between government and industry to enhance our preparedness and response efforts. These collaborations have facilitated access to resources, funding, and expertise, allowing our members to engage in impactful projects that address our pressing health challenges. 

Looking Ahead

As we move into our second year, we are excited to continue the growth of the program and its impact. We aim to enhance our program with additional training and networking opportunities for our members. Members will also benefit from increased opportunities to engage with government to further foster collaboration and information exchange.

Thank you for being part of our journey. Here’s to many more years of excellence in advancing health security, enhancing preparedness, and working to enable a rapid response to the next pandemic or public health emergency!

Next Gen Vaccinations: Phase 2b

Clinical Trial Execution

Recognizing a gap in COVID-19 vaccine options, BARDA collaborated with developers and organizations to advance the clinical development of next-generation COVID-19 vaccines into a Phase 2 clinical trial. This project aims to enhance vaccine durability, broaden protection, and/or block transmission in response to emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Click here to learn more.

Enabling Technology-Decentralized Clinical Trial- Home Focus

The study will employ a decentralized trial delivery model to simplify and streamline participants’ trial experience. By applying a multi-faceted, state-of-the-art approach, it will assess the feasibility of remote, self-collected specimens for CoP analysis and integrate wearable devices to potentially forecast COVID-19 infections. The data will be used to generate actionable insights to support the ongoing fight against COVID-19. Click here to learn more. 

Accelerating Near-Term Availability

of mRNA based Pandemic

Influenza Vaccine

This project will enable the rapid development of an mRNA vaccine targeted to various influenza virus subtypes, also known as strains, of pandemic potential. It also includes the option for large-scale production and pandemic response. This work will allow development and manufacturing to pivot quickly, if needed, to address other threats, such as emerging infectious diseases. Click here to learn more.

Enabling Technology- Decentralized Clinical Trial- Retail/Pharmacy Focus

Through this study, BARDA aims to advance decentralized clinical trial capabilities that improve access. To demonstrate that this approach works as well as traditional centralized clinical trials, the study will identify correlates for updated doses of the vaccine. Learning what aspects of decentralized clinical trials work for vaccine correlate of protection studies can enable larger, more diverse future studies that can be useful in identifying any correlates of protection for different age groups, health conditions, or other factors. This level of information can support future vaccine policies and recommendations. Click here to learn more.

NextGen Vaccines: Statistical Support, Correlates of Protection, and

Meta-analysis: Modules 1 & 2

This project aims to provide statistical and data coordination support, including vaccine correlates of protection (CoP) analysis and meta-analysis, to support the advanced clinical development and assessment of next-generation COVID-19 vaccines and capabilities. The project supports two areas of interest, or “Modules”. Module 1 includes full statistical and data coordination support for one home-focus vaccine decentralized clinical trial (DCT); statistical support for CoP and meta-analysis across up to 11 vaccine trials; and an optional, ad hoc, final statistical analysis, and project meeting support for one retail-focus DCT. Module 2 includes assessment of foundational CoP data from first-generation COVID-19 vaccine trials. Click here to learn more.

Biothreat Diagnostic Rapid Response

Through this project, BARDA is seeking to address its product portfolio capability readiness gaps for rapid biothreat diagnostic test development and ready-production capacity to quickly produce tests in lieu of stockpiling. Biothreat tests will be developed and pilot program(s) will be established to assess the feasibility of rapid response capabilities, leveraging existing domestic manufacturing capacities. Click here to learn more. 

The General Membership Meeting held August 13-14th in Washington, DC was a resounding success, bringing together members from diverse backgrounds in the biomedical field. Attendees gathered to share insights, network and collaborate, and discuss future opportunities.

Key Highlights

Keynote Addresses.

Dr. Chris White, RRPV Program Director, delivered the Welcome Address to attendees. The meeting featured talks from our keynote speakers, Dr. Gary Disbrow, BARDA Director, Ms. Dawn O’Connell, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness & Response, Mr. Joffrey Benford, Deputy Head of Contracting, ASPR, and Dr. David Simon, Medical Countermeasures Preparedness Response Director. Their talks emphasized the importance of innovation, collaboration and the role of RRPV in meeting those goals.

Division Director Briefs.

The division directors from CBRN Medical Countermeasures (CBRN), Influenza and Emerging Infectious Diseases (IEIDD), Detection, Diagnostics & Devices Infrastructure (DDDI), and DRIVe provided valuable updates on their respective areas, highlighting recent projects, advancements and challenges. Each director shared insights, outlined strategic goals and invited members to engage in upcoming efforts.

Member Introductions & Speed Networking.

These sessions were dedicated to member introductions with a focus on partnering among RRPV members. They allowed new members to provide information about their organization, current projects, and areas of interest to highlight their capabilities. The speed networking was focused on bringing awareness to organizations and providing opportunities to discuss future partnering needs.

Scanning Across the Horizon (MCM Future) Panel.

A highlight of the meeting was the panel discussion featuring esteemed BARDA panelists, Dr. Shyman Rele (DRIVe), Dr. Gina Conenello (Program Lead D-COHRe), Dr. Sam Lee (Director, IEIDD), Dr. Ramya Natarajan (Health Scientist, IEIDD), Dr. Charles Daitch (Program Director, DDDI), and Dr. Dan Wolfe (Deputy Director, CBRN). They engaged in through-provoking dialogue on current trends, challenges and opportunities in their areas. The interactive session encouraged audience participation and allowed members to ask questions.

Throughout the event, multiple opportunities for networking, including member presentations, speed networking sessions, poster sessions, and built-in networking breaks were offered and gave member organizations the opportunity to talk about their capabilities and teaming interests with other RRPV member organizations. 

As a member of the RRPV, one of the benefits available to you is the Collaboration Database, a searchable database that you can use to connect with potential teaming partners or expand your network!

You can provide information about your organization including technology capabilities, collaboration interests, R&D highlights, technical expertise, and other details. Other organizations are able to search the database by this information to find just the organization they are looking for!

To get the most out of this valuable resource, we encourage you to visit the Collaboration Database, which is housed on the RRPV Member’s Only site, and fill out your profile. Not only can potential partners use this resource to find your organization, but BARDA uses the information entered on the profiles, as well!