SK Bioscience-IVI Holds 2nd Park Manhoon Award Ceremony

SK Bioscience announced on the 26th that it held the ‘Park Man-hoon Award’ ceremony, sponsored by the company and hosted by the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), on the 25th.

The 2nd Park Man-hoon Award ceremony, co-hosted by SK Bioscience and the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), was held on the 25th. Attendees including Ahn Jae-yong, President of SK Bioscience; Paola Federico, Ambassador of Italy to Korea; Jerome Kim, Secretary-General of IVI; Dr. Mariagrazia Pizza; Professor Sarah Gilbert of Oxford University; Dr. Rino Rappuoli; Yoo Hong-rim, President of Seoul National University; and Gareth Weir, Deputy Ambassador of the British Embassy in Korea, posed for a commemorative photo.
[Photo by SK Bioscience]

Now in its second year, the Park Man-hoon Award this year selected as recipients ▲Dr. Rino Rappuoli and Dr. Mariagrazia Pizza, who developed the meningococcal B vaccine, and ▲Professor Andrew Pollard and Professor Sarah Gilbert of Oxford University, who jointly received the award for developing AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, which was the first to be used in vaccination during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony, held at IVI located in the Seoul National University Research Park in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, was attended by awardees Dr. Rappuoli, Dr. Pizza, and Professor Gilbert, as well as Yoo Hong-rim, President of Seoul National University; Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI; Ahn Jae-yong, President of SK Bioscience; Paola Pedrini, Italian Ambassador to Korea; and Gareth Weir, British Deputy Ambassador to Korea, who congratulated the recipients. Professor Pollard, who was unable to attend the ceremony, delivered his acceptance remarks via video. Following the ceremony, the Park Man-hoon Award Forum was held, where the four awardees presented their respective research and achievements.

The Park Man-hoon Award was established in 2021 to revitalize the vaccine industry and honor the achievements of the late Vice Chairman Park Man-hoon. SK Bioscience and IVI aim to institutionalize the Park Man-hoon Award as the most prestigious award in the vaccine field, equivalent to a Nobel Prize, by annually recognizing individuals or groups (teams) worldwide who have made significant contributions to the vaccine industry through a selection committee composed of 12 experts, including the IVI Director General. SK Bioscience contributes 200 million KRW annually as prize money to promote international vaccine research.

At the ceremony, Dr. Rappuoli said, “It is an honor that the Park Man-hoon Award recognizes the paradigm shift in vaccine discovery and design as innovative,” adding, “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the scientists who worked toward this change in the late 1990s, a period often called the Stone Age of genomics.” Dr. Pizza also expressed gratitude, saying, “I thank SK Bioscience, IVI, and the Park Man-hoon Award selection committee for recognizing our research achievements,” and added, “Reverse Vaccinology is now widely used in most vaccine developments and was instrumental in pandemic preparedness, thanks to the contributions of a research team composed of outstanding talents.”

Professor Pollard said, “Receiving the Park Man-hoon Award is a great personal honor, but I believe this award is for the Oxford team and over 2,000 researchers worldwide who worked tirelessly to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” and continued, “Considering the approximately 25,000 members of the public who participated in vaccine clinical trials, the COVID-19 vaccine is the greatest scientific achievement our generation has collectively accomplished.” Professor Gilbert also said, “It is an honor to receive such a prestigious award for the joint development of the COVID-19 vaccine,” and added, “As a researcher, experiencing firsthand the process of the world coming together as one team to achieve results for the most urgent global health issue of this century is a great privilege.”

Jerome Kim, Director General of IVI, who hosted the ceremony, said, “We are proud to honor the contributions of researchers who played a pivotal role in vaccine development for global health through the 2nd Park Man-hoon Award,” and added, “As the only international organization dedicated to vaccine development and distribution for global health, we will continue to collaborate with SK Bioscience to carry on the legacy of the late Dr. Park Man-hoon and to discover pioneers and innovators in the vaccine field for the advancement of vaccine science, industry, and global health.” Ahn Jae-yong, President of SK Bioscience, also said, “We are pleased to have the opportunity to honor four great scientists who contributed to vaccine research, development, and distribution,” and added, “We will do our best to carry on the spirit of the late Vice Chairman Park and achieve the goal of improving human health.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.