CEPI Calls for Proposals

CEPI Open Calls for Proposals

Funds global vaccine and biologic countermeasure developers to build responses for epidemic pathogens.

The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is an Oslo-headquartered international foundation established in 2017 by governments, philanthropies, and the World Economic Forum to fund the development of vaccines and biologic countermeasures against epidemic and pandemic threats. CEPI issues rolling Calls for Proposals (CFPs) against its published priority pathogen list, which includes Chikungunya, Coronaviruses, Disease X (unknown pathogens with pandemic potential), Filoviruses (Ebola and Marburg), Lassa fever, Mpox, Nipah, and Rift Valley fever. Each CFP defines a specific development objective — ranging from early-stage antigen or platform work through Phase II efficacy trials to large-scale manufacturing — and is funded on a milestone-disbursement basis rather than as an upfront block grant.

Award sizes vary widely by project scope: early research and development projects typically attract $1 million or more, while large-scale manufacturing and late-stage efficacy projects can exceed $100 million and require approval from CEPI's Investor Council. All awards carry mandatory equitable-access conditions requiring that resulting vaccines and biologics be available at affordable prices in outbreak contexts. Eligible applicants include academic institutions, biotech companies, and vaccine manufacturers from any country; only individual applicants are ineligible. As of 2026, CEPI's active portfolio includes Phase II Nipah vaccine trials, Lassa fever vaccine development, mRNA pandemic influenza candidates, and multivalent filovirus vaccine programmes.

Organisations seeking funding apply directly to individual CFPs as they are issued on the CEPI website. Specific deadlines, application requirements, scoring criteria, and development stage targets are published with each individual call. Applicants should demonstrate relevant R&D or manufacturing capacity, a credible development roadmap for the target pathogen, and willingness to comply with CEPI's equitable-access contract conditions. Consortium applications involving manufacturers from low- and middle-income countries are strongly aligned with CEPI's mission.