Welcome to the RBDCOV Community Engagement Toolbox: a digital hub of resources developed by EATG and the partners of the RBDCOV Project. This toolbox brings together engaging, practical, and inclusive materials for activists, community members, researchers, and health professionals.

PENDING EUROPEAN COMMISSION APPROVAL

 

Welcome to the RBDCOV Community Engagement Toolbox: a digital hub of resources co-developed by EATG and members of the Community Advisory Panel within the EU-funded RBDCOV Project. This toolbox brings together engaging, practical, and inclusive materials for activists, community members, researchers, and health professionals interested in strengthening community participation and capacity in vaccine and broader clinical research.

The tools gathered here reflect EATG’s mission values: ensuring that the voices of people most affected by HIV and health inequalities are heard, respected, and central in the design of clinical research and health communication.

Every resource is rooted in equity, community engagement, and accessibility, helping you connect, learn, and participate within and beyond the scope of vaccine research.

This is a living toolbox: it is updated over time with new relevant materials as they are further developed, approved, or identified as useful.

 

For the creation of this toolbox, all third-parties online materials were accessed and retrieved in June and July 2025. EATG is not responsible for the accessibility of materials that are hosted outside of its servers. If a link is not working please contact us.

 

About the RBDCOV project

 

The RBDCOV project, which aimed to test a vaccine against COVID-19 in the paediatric population, including adolescents, and in immunocompromised individuals, plays a crucial role in vaccine development.

RBDCOV is one of the projects committed to testing and advancing a new vaccine against COVID-19. For this purpose, companies and institutions from five European countries have joined forces. The project is led by the biotechnological pharmaceutical company HIPRA and involves the participation of centres in Spain (Vall d’Hebron Institut de Recerca, Irsicaixa, Fundación Lucha contra el SIDA (FLS), IDIBAPS, IDIBGI, ASPHALION, Vinces Consulting, Zabala Innovation), the United Kingdom (Veristat International), Italy (Fondazione Penta), Germany/Belgum (European AIDS Treatment Group), and Turkey (Metpharm Arastirma Gelistirme Saglik Danismanlik).

 

To learn more about the RBDCOV project, start by watching this introductory video.

Curious about how the BIMERVAX® COVID-19 vaccine, a recombinant protein-based vaccine, works? Explore RBDCOV’s infographic for a clear and concise overview.

 

 

Here are the RBDCOV Community Engagement Toolbox resources. Choose the tools that work for you, get inspired, learn, and use them for your own projects.

 

Informed Consent Forms and Participant Information Sheets for the RBDCOV Clinical Trials and Psychosocial Study

Considering taking part in a clinical trial? It’s important to understand what participation involves and what your rights are.

These documents explain the RBDCOV clinical trials in plain language — including what to expect, your rights as a participant, and key details about the study.

They were co-developed with input from community representatives to ensure the information is clear, accessible, and respectful of everyone’s needs.

 

Available in Spanish, Catalan and English.

 

These documents supported the implementation of these studies:

HIPRA-HH-3 (study with adolescents)

HIPRA-HH-4 (study with patients living with immunocompromising conditions)

Psychosocial study (HIPRA-HH-4 participants’ assessment)

 

 

Comic Strip Infographic: RBDCOV: A Vaccine Mission

This multilingual comic strip uses visual storytelling to explain what vaccine trials are, why they matter, and how communities, young people in particular, can get involved.

Created with clarity and inclusion in mind, it’s available in English, Spanish, Catalan, and Turkish.

A great tool for outreach, workshops, or simply as a conversation starter.

 

Available as downloadable image files and PDFs.

 

 

 

RBDCOV: A Vaccine Mission – Explaining the journey towards COVID-19 protection with comics

Inclusive HIV Terminology Guidelines: Considerations for internal and external communications

Language can empower or exclude. This concise guide in English offers actionable tips on using inclusive, affirming, and respectful language when communicating about vaccines, trials, and public health.

Developed with community input, it’s a must-have guide for researchers, campaigners, and health professionals.

Ideal for internal briefings and external communication.

 

Available as a downloadable PDF.

ReCAP Articles: Key Insights from RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel Members

Our ReCAP series gathers reflections, lessons learned, and insights from the RBDCOV journey.

These blogs in the format of articles and interviews, cover community engagement, trust-building, clinical research design, and more, written in accessible language for both experts and community readers.

 

Available in English on EATG’s website blogs section.

Why and How Should Communities Be Engaged in Research & Development Processes for Safer Clinical Trials?

RECAP with the RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel | Vaccines 101: What are they and how do they work?

RECAP with the RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel | Vaccines 101: Debunking myths and understanding vaccine hesitancy

RECAP with the RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel | Vaccines 101: The importance of including people living with immunocompromising conditions

RECAP with the RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel | Vaccines 101: How do they make it into the European market? (part 1)

RECAP with the RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel | Vaccines 101: How do they make it into the European market? (part 2)

RECAP with the RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel | Why not HIV? A comparison between mRNA vaccine research for COVID and HIV

RECAP with the RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel | How can we engage youth in Research & Development initiatives?

RECAP with the RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel | Considerations on Accessibility in Clinical Trials and EU-funded projects

 

ReCAP blogs

Community-Aware Imagery

Representation matters. Tone and emotional impact matter. Choose your images and visuals wisely.

People aspire to see themselves and connect with their experiences in the imagery a project chooses to use. Avoid medicalised imagery. Avoid dark and negative cues and connotations.

These are some examples of inclusive photos, reflecting the diversity of people living with or affected by HIV and other health conditions.

They are sourced from royalty-free image banks, ready to use for campaigns, news, presentations, and educational work.

RBDCOV Expert Articles

These articles, written by scientists, advocates, and public health professionals involved in RBDCOV, cover key topics like community trust, vaccine literacy, and inclusion in clinical trials.

Great for further reading or linking in training and awareness sessions.

 

#1 / Vaccine Clinical Trials: What is the process and how are our trials regulated?

#2 / How vaccine clinical trials work?

#3 / All about personalized vaccines: what are they and what is their future?

#4 / RBDCOV: The project’s origins and future endeavours

#5 / How do we engage communities to vaccine clinical trials?

#6 / Vaccine immunogenicity analysis: high-resolution monitoring of cellular immunity

#7 / Advancing health equity through inclusive clinical trials

#8 / The One Health Approach: A Holistic Perspective to Protect Health

+ / “For once, we were the priority”: What a vaccine trial taught us about trust, reciprocity, and inclusion

 

 

 

Expert Articles and News

FAQs: Understanding the RBDCOV Trials

Vaccine research can be complex, so we broke it down into plain language.

These FAQs answer common questions from adults with underlying conditions and parents of children or adolescents who participate in RBDCOV clinical trials.

These documents are available in English, Spanish, Catalan, and Turkish.

 

Two tailored guides for different audiences:

 

Glossary of Terms: Vaccine Research & Trials

Understanding the language of clinical research is essential.

This glossary offers clear definitions of the technical terms used throughout the RBDCOV project and FAQ sections, designed for accessibility by patients and communities.

The glossary is available in English, Spanish, Catalan and Turkish.

 

An essential companion for informed participation.

 

Included at the end of the Adult FAQs page and as a downloadable PDF (English).

 

 

Glossary

RBDCOV Talks: The Podcast Series

In RBDCOV Talks, we hear directly from community advocates, researchers, and health communicators partnered in RBDCOV, about the lived realities of clinical trials and inclusive research.

These short episodes, available in English, offer real-world insight into the power of community engagement.

 

The episodes are available via the RBDCOV website, and podcast platforms:

Spotify

Apple Podcasts

iVoox

 

Episodes with the participation of EATG

Join our conversation with Juanfran and Arda from EATG to understand better the significance of more inclusive and effective clinical trials

 

How the community engagement campaign was built and why inclusion and diversity in clinical research are more than buzzwords they’re essential for impact? Let’s take a closer look with Tania Sanchis and Apostolos Kalogiannis from EATG, as they share insights about the campaign.

 

What motivated participants to join? How did they experience the process? And what lessons can we learn from their stories? Join Daniela Rojas Castro from EATG, who has played a leading role in ensuring that the voices of affected communities are not just heard, but actively shape the direction of the project.

 

RBDCOV Talks

HIPRA-HH-4 Clinical Trial | Results Report: Participants’ Experience Assessment Study
Psychosocial Study Report

This report presents the findings of the psychosocial study conducted within the RBDCOV project, assessing the participant experience during the HIPRA-HH-4 clinical trial.

It explores participants’ emotional responses, motivations, and levels of trust in the trial process, with particular attention to the experiences and perspectives of underrepresented communities.

Great for workshops or discussions on ethics and community engagement.

 

Access the full report in English, Spanish, Catalan and Turkish.

Loader Loading...
EAD Logo Taking too long?

Reload Reload document
| Open Open in new tab

 

You don’t have time to read the full report? Check out the executive summary and key insights.

 

 

Lay Language Summary on the HIPRA-HH-4 Clinical Trial

What was the clinical trial for people with immunocompromising conditions about, and what are the main results? A lay language summary, led by experts from the community is a way to go.

RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel members worked together with the principal investigator and representatives from the pharmaceutical company to develop such a summary.

This reader-friendly document explains this RBDCOV vaccine trial in accessible terms. Perfect for sharing with patients, caregivers, or anyone unfamiliar with clinical research.

 

Helps bridge the gap between science and community.

 

Available in English as a downloadable PDF.

 

 

Lay Summary

Community Engagement Campaign: “It Starts and Ends with Us: Community at the Centre of Clinical Studies”

Real voices. Real stories. This video and blog campaign features RBDCOV Community Advisory members, EATG staff, and a principal investigator sharing their perspectives about trust, representation, and the power of inclusive research.

The campaign emphasises the central role that communities play in making research more ethical, inclusive, and responsive to real needs.

By spotlighting lived experiences and personal reflections, “It Starts and Ends with Us” calls for a shift in how clinical trials are designed and communicated, putting people, not just data, at the heart of the process.

 

Get to the campaign.

 

 

 

It Starts and Ends with Us - Campaign

Science Café: Bridging Science and Society on Vaccine Research

Leave No One Behind! Fostering Inclusion in Clinical Trials.

Held on 18 November 2024 in Barcelona and online, this Science Café event aimed to bring science closer to society by creating an informal and welcoming space for open dialogue between researchers and community members.

Participants exchanged ideas on vaccine research and other scientific topics that matter to their daily lives.

 

Watch the recording (dubbed in English)

 

Science Café (announcement)

Credits

  • Apostolos Kalogiannis, EATG Communication Manager – Editor-in-Chief & Toolbox Producer

  • Giorgio Barbareschi, EATG Programme Manager – Toolbox Oversight and Strategic Supervision

  • Tania Sanchis, EATG Communication Officer – Toolbox Developer

  • Shatyam Issur, EATG Project Coordinator – Toolbox Coordinator

  • Rocco Pignata, EATG Programme Officer & Project Coordinator – Content Developer

  • Fiona Greenhalgh, EATG Programme Officer & Project Coordinator – Content Developer

  • RBDCOV Community Advisory Panel: Juan Francisco Cabrera Solano, Jennifer Catherine Camaradou, Paul Clift, Marine (Maka) Gogia, Bogdan Hadarag, Apostolos Kalogiannis, Arda Karapınar, Mercy Nangwale, Daniela Rojas Castro, Maryan Said, Siegfried Schwarze, Mona Sundnes, Joan Tallada, Deniz Uyanik, Alain Volny-Anne, Brian Charles West – Content Strategists and Reviewers

  • Laura Sesma, Health Team Leader & European Programmes (Zabala Innovation) – Toolbox Oversight

  • Nora Franco, European Projects Dissemination & Communication Leader (Zabala Innovation) – Content Developer & Toolbox Oversight

 

 

[Last update: 5 September 2025]

 

The RBDCOV project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101046118

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

Get involved

Are you living with HIV/AIDS? Are you part of a community affected by HIV/AIDS and co-infections? Do you work or volunteer in the field? Are you motivated by our cause and interested to support our work?

Subscribe

Stay in the loop and get all the important EATG updates in your inbox with the EATG newsletter. The HIV & co-infections bulletin is your source of handpicked news from the field arriving regularly to your inbox.