At the closing conference of the SciREACT Project, which was carried out under the coordination of TÜBİTAK MAM, the project’s concrete outcomes and the Pandemic-X Workshop report were shared.
A closing ceremony was held as part of the SciREACT (Scientific Response to COVID-19) Project, which is being carried out under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and Technology and co-financed by the European Union and the Republic of Turkey under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).
Under the coordination of the TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center (MAM); in collaboration with the İzmir Biotechnology and Genomics Center, Ege University, Atabay Pharmaceuticals, and the Turkish Health Institutes Presidency (TÜSEB), the current status of vaccine and drug candidates that have progressed from the laboratory scale to the clinical development phase, along with the Pandemic-X Roadmap, which will contribute to pandemic management, was shared with participants.
The in-person event was attended by TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Orhan Aydın, TÜSEB Biotechnology Institute President Prof. Dr. Duygu Özalp Demirel, and TÜSEB Vaccine Institute President Prof. Dr. Ateş Kara, who joined via video link. TÜBİTAK MAM President Prof. Dr. Burcu Özsoy, Abdulkadir Güventürk, Head of the Project Management Department at the General Directorate of EU and Foreign Relations of the Ministry of Industry and Technology, and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hilal Yazıcı Malkoçoğlu, were present in the hall, along with representatives from partner institutions, academics from relevant universities, researchers involved in the project, and industry representatives.
Vaccine and Drug Research and Concrete Outcomes
As part of the ongoing work, an update was provided on the current technical status of DNA-, protein-, and antibody-based vaccine and drug candidates that have been advanced from the laboratory scale to the pilot production and clinical preparation stages using domestic resources. During the program, which focused on sharing data obtained from biotechnology product development processes, the clinical readiness status of the molecules and the technical capacity of the production infrastructure were discussed in line with the ongoing collaboration between academia and industry.
Pandemic-X Roadmap Recommendations Were Presented
As part of the program, the Pandemic-X Roadmap Recommendations—developed to enhance national preparedness capacity against potential global crises and pandemic scenarios—were shared with participants. Shaped in line with the work carried out, the roadmap encompasses technical and institutional approaches aimed at integrating research and production infrastructure, improving data-sharing processes, and strengthening interagency coordination.
Priority Goals for the 2026–2030 Period Have Been Set
During the closing session, the SciREACT experience and the proposed strategic goals for the 2026–2030 period, in line with the Pandemic-X Roadmap, were also shared. Priority steps included the creation of an Emergency Action Plan capable of responding flexibly and rapidly to potential outbreaks, the development of R&D and product development funding mechanisms tailored to crisis periods, and the alignment of GMP production capacity with industry needs. Other key priorities included strengthening the national data and biomaterial infrastructure, accelerating technology transfer processes, supporting specialized human resources in critical areas, and conducting a national-level Pandemic-X drill.
From Scientific Capacity to Commercialization
The SciREACT Project, which served as an important model for advancing the scientific capabilities developed during the COVID-19 pandemic into the product development and clinical trial phases, has contributed valuable outcomes to the domestic biotechnology ecosystem through its DNA vaccine, recombinant RBD protein vaccine, and neutralizing drug candidates.
Through the Pandemic-X Workshop Series, this technical expertise was translated into a forward-looking assessment framework encompassing policy, infrastructure, and human resources, the goal was for the institutional experience gained to contribute to Turkey’s pandemic preparedness capacity and to product development processes based on collaboration among the public sector, academia, and industry.
