In February 2025, researchers and policy experts from six low- and middle-income countries gathered in Geneva alongside global experts for a three-day workshop to refine their health policy and systems research studies aimed at improving vaccine uptake.
The event brought together teams from Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines. Each team is leading a country-specific study to understand how community dynamics, system design and national policies affect immunization coverage – and how these systems can be strengthened through evidence-informed strategies.
The work spans two tracks: reaching zero-dose and under-immunized children, and expanding adolescent and adult vaccination. Three thematic areas underpin the programme: community-level social determinants, health systems contexts, and national political governance.
At the heart of the workshop was a collaborative process to develop a shared meta-narrative for the programme – a unifying framework that connects the six projects across different thematic areas and country contexts. Participants explored what their diverse approaches add up to in terms of advancing science, informing policy and improving implementation.
Ultimately, participants developed the metaphor of a growing tree. Deep community engagement and meaningful stakeholder relationships are the roots, providing stability and legitimacy. The evidence base serves as the trunk, supporting and strengthening decision-making. Policies and health system interventions form the branches, extending reach and adaptability. And the canopy represents the ultimate goal: improved vaccine uptake.
Teams engaged in rounds of structured discussions, peer exchange and expert-facilitated sessions to refine their study protocols, identify practical pathways to impact, and embed key cross-cutting considerations such as gender, digital transformation and equity. Country teams also discussed the challenges of designing national health interventions in decentralized contexts and considered how to position their research for relevance at multiple levels of the health system.
Participants appreciated the ability to strengthen their projects through peer discussion and exchange with external experts alike. The invited experts challenged participants to consider how their research would be used in practice. They emphasized the importance of engaging decision-makers early, applying iterative learning methods, and aligning with policy windows and planning cycles. Digital storytelling and the use of behavioural and social data were also discussed as tools to strengthen knowledge translation.
The final day featured a roundtable with representatives from WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and UNICEF. These global partners reflected on how locally led research can help shape global immunization strategies and highlighted opportunities to integrate findings into programme design and policy dialogue. Discussions touched on practical ways to foster sustainability, institutionalize findings, and address common barriers such as fragmented data systems and misaligned incentives.
The workshop reinforced the role of health policy and systems research as one essential link in the broader chain of efforts to improve vaccine uptake – complementing biomedical innovations, behavioural insights and programmatic delivery with systems-level understanding and evidence for policy. By creating a space for country-led teams to learn from one another, engage with global actors and articulate a collective vision, the meeting laid strong foundations for collaborative action. As the programme continues to evolve, it aims to turn evidence into impact – improving vaccine uptake, building stronger systems and helping communities to flourish.