Social and Behavioral Research Grants Program

Grant Partner Coalition

Sabin’s Vaccine Acceptance & Demand Initiative aims to facilitate global collaboration among researchers focused on the social and behavioral drivers of vaccination. We’re doing this by developing a research-focused community of practice built around our Social and Behavioral Research Grants Program recipients. This coalition comprises partners from our three previous grant cycles and will be open to all future grantees in the program.

2022 coalition Meeting

The inaugural meeting of the Social and Behavioral Research Partner Coalition was held over three days in July 2022 in Dubai, U.A.E. with representatives from 18 research projects across 10 countries funded over our three previous grant cycles. This meeting provided an opportunity for the current grantees to present on their research progress and discuss challenges and opportunities experienced, including the importance of:

Co-designed interventions
Research for, by, and with marginalized communities
Establishing trust
Relationship building

Research teams from all three grant program cycles engaged with Lisa Menning from WHO on the Behavioral and Social Drivers of Vaccination (BeSD) Framework, learned about community co-design workshops, and brainstormed how the research community can take forward themes emerging from the VARN2022 conference. Sabin also sponsored a full day communications and advocacy training on translating research into action. Research teams workshopped strategic communications plans to disseminate their findings.

Most importantly, grant partners were able to connect with their colleagues in-person. From the positive feedback we received on this event, this growing coalition of researchers is energized to advance research and collaborations that improve our understanding of the social and behavioral drivers of vaccination.

Dubai 2022 Gallery

Dr. Satendra Singh emphasizes inclusivity for people living with disabilities into vaccination frameworks

Networking across the cohorts

Communications and advocacy workshop panel with Dr. Corrina Moucheraud, Dr. Chizoba Wonodi, and Dr. Rajeev Seth

Meeting partners from other cohorts

Reviewing notes from panel discussions

Partners discussing their research

Our first meeting of the coalition

Reviewing key lessons from VARN 2022 conference

“I liked learning about the other research and their progress so far. The communication session was also useful especially on how to communicate depending on the audience and reducing jargon.”

Grant partner, SEARO region

Listening & learning

The grant partner coalition provides essential input for future grant cycles. At the 2022 coalition meeting, partners helped develop the three research tracks offered in our current call for proposals.

Are you a researcher working to understand and improve vaccine acceptance and demand in a low- middle-income country? Apply for funding for the 2023-2024 social and behavioral research grant cycle! Submission deadline is October 31, 2022.