RBDCOV: The Community Advisory Panel meets in Barcelona for its final face-to-face meeting

On April 29–30, the EATG team, leading the Community Engagement of the project – Work Package 9 (WP9), met with members of the Community Advisory Panel (CAP) for the RBDCOV project in Barcelona, Spain, for their final face-to-face meeting of the project.

Highlighting the Role of the CAP and the Power of Community Involvement in Research

The two-day meeting began with a comprehensive review of progress across the RBDCOV project since the last in-person CAP meeting (September 2023). Discussions focused on the evolving role of the CAP and the ways in which community involvement has positively contributed to the success of various project components. Participants also reviewed community-led activities, clinical trial outcomes, access and registration plans, communication efforts, and upcoming community engagement initiatives.

The meeting opened with welcoming remarks by Giorgio Barbareschi, EATG Programme Manager, who set the tone with a thoughtful reflection on the importance of community engagement in research. His introduction reaffirmed the value of the CAP’s contributions and the collective impact of community voices throughout the project.

The first day featured a presentation from Beatriz Mothe, Clinical Researcher at IrsiCaixa and lead for Work Package 4 (WP4). Beatriz shared the latest updates from the RBDCOV clinical trials, including key findings, real-world challenges, and the integral role CAP members have played in improving trial design and implementation through their feedback and lived experiences.

This was followed by a session on vaccine access and availability, presented by Lluis Riera-Sans from HIPRA. Lluis offered a clear and informative overview of the complexities of vaccine distribution, regulatory considerations, and the policy environment, along with strategies to improve access to the HIPRA vaccine.

The afternoon was dedicated to co-creation and planning for future initiatives. In a workshop moderated by Giorgio Barbareschi and Project Coordinator, Shatyam Issur, CAP members collaborated on the development of a practical community engagement toolkit. Together, they identified key tools, co-designed materials, and mapped out next steps for disseminating the community-centred resources produced during the RBDCOV project.

Spotlight on Community Voices: CAP Members Share Their Experience in New Video Series

The Barcelona meeting also provided an opportunity to spotlight the CAP members themselves. A new series of video interviews was filmed, highlighting the community experience within the RBDCOV project. These interviews touch on various aspects of the project, as well as broader themes in clinical research, including the importance of engaging communities in non-HIV trials. The aim is to showcase what it means to participate in research from a community perspective and to promote more inclusive, people-centred approaches to future clinical trials. Stay tuned to see the videos on our social media and website soon!

Finally, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to the CAP members who attended and contributed meaningfully to the discussions: Alain Volny-Anne, Maka Gogia, Arda Karapinar, Joan Tallada, Jenny Camaradou, and Mona Sundnes.

Special thanks also go to the EATG team involved in this meeting: Giorgio Barbareschi and Shatyam Issur, Project Coordinators for WP9, for leading the sessions and facilitating rich and productive exchanges as well as Apostolos Kalogiannis and Tania Sanchis, for running the community engagement campaigning and other communication activities for WP9.

We also thank all the project partners who joined us and shared their work.