VAX-Action: Tackling Effectively
Vaccine Hesitancy in Europe

From March 25th to 29th, 2025, the VAX-ACTION project marked a key milestone with the successful launch of its Evaluator Training Week, hosted by IHMT NOVA in Lisbon. This event officially initiated the project’s field phase, aimed at implementing and evaluating tailored interventions to reduce vaccine hesitancy in five European regions.

The training brought together participants from all partner institutions and regions involved in the project, laying the groundwork for consistent, high-quality evaluation activities across the consortium. The sessions were led by experienced trainers, Rita Morais and Isabel Craveiro, and supported by the coordination team from GHTM - Global Health and Tropical Medicine, including Paulo Ferrinho, Daniela Alba Nickel, Tiago Correia, and Anabela Pereira.

During the week, evaluators were introduced to key tools and methodologies that will support the monitoring and assessment of interventions developed with health professionals and service users. These interventions, grounded in evidence and adapted to local contexts, aim to generate new insights into effective strategies to address vaccine hesitancy.

A central focus of the training was to promote a shared understanding of evaluation procedures, ensuring alignment across countries and strengthening the consortium’s capacity to generate robust, transferable evidence. The event also reinforced the importance of collaboration, transparency, and communication among partners.

Hosted by IHMT NOVA, the work package leader for evaluation, the training week marks a significant step forward in the VAX-ACTION journey. Over the next months, the project will continue to build on this momentum as interventions are rolled out and monitored on the ground.

Participating institutions:

• EHESP - École des hautes études en santé publique

• Institut Pasteur

• Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore

• Institutul Național de Management al Serviciilor de Sănătate

• Institut postgraduálního vzdělávání ve zdravotnictví - IPVZ

• ISPUP | Instituto de Saúde Pública da Universidade do Porto

• ASPHER - The Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region

The VAX-ACTION project started on December 1st, 2023, and will run until May 31st, 2026. It is funded by the European Union’s EU4Health programme under the Grant Agreement no. 101133273. The consortium is coordinated by Tiago Correia, professor and GHTM researcher, and led by GHTM-IHMT, involving 9 partners from 6 European countries.

Hashtag proposals:
#VAXACTION
#vaccinehesitancy
#EU4H #EU #EUCoFunding
#GHTM #IHMT #NOVA
#EHESP #InstitutPasteur #UCSC #INMSS #IPVZ #ISPUP #ASPHER