Australia’s trusted immunisation experts
17 July 2026 | NewsNew study explores the communication needs of Australian pharmacist immunisersRead the full article
The NCIRS Global Health team works closely with NITAGs in Timor-Leste, Vietnam, Fiji and the Lao People's Democratic Republic to help protect people in these countries against vaccine preventable diseases.
We are also a recognised technical partner of the Global NITAG Network (GNN) and contribute to a range of broader global initiatives.
For partnership enquiries, technical assistance or collaboration opportunities relating to NITAG strengthening across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, please contact the NCIRS Global Health Team at SCHN-NCIRSGlobal@health.nsw.gov.au.
National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs) are multidisciplinary committees of experts that provide independent, evidence-based recommendations on vaccines and immunisation policy in more than 180 countries around the world.
To support informed decision-making, NITAGs advise governments on a range of immunisation-related topics, such as:
By drawing on a wide variety of information – including local and regional epidemiology, global evidence and subject matter expertise – NITAGs help ensure immunisation programs remain safe, effective and trusted by the public.
NCIRS Australia collaborates with a broad range of national and international partners across research, vaccine safety surveillance, social science, and immunisation education and training.
With over 20 years of experience providing technical support to the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), NCIRS has made strong contributions to advancing evidence-based immunisation policy both in Australia and internationally.
NCIRS’ Global Health team works in genuine partnerships with countries, responding directly to their identified priorities and co-designing support that fits each NITAG’s specific requirements.
As a recognised technical partner of the GNN, NCIRS is committed to:
The NCIRS Global Health team works closely with the GNN to support NITAGs, primarily across Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and contributes to a range of broader global initiatives.
We help strengthen NITAG capacity in regions beyond our immediate geographic focus through collaborations with partners such as the National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups Support Hub at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) and others.
Building on this leadership role, NCIRS is increasingly engaged with both the WHO South-East Asia Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Immunization Technical Advisory Group.
NCIRS works at scale to strengthen NITAGs, foster cross-regional collaboration and advance high-quality immunisation policy worldwide.
The work of the Global Health team includes:
NCIRS worked with the GNN to coordinate the Global NITAG Secretariat Survey 2025, which was completed by 84 countries. It found:
Recommendations included:
Global NITAG Secretariat Survey 2025 report
NCIRS has worked closely with the Philippine Department of Health, WHO, NITAG members and other partners to support the establishment of the Philippine NITAG.
As part of this support, 4 NCIRS-coordinated workshops were held online or in Manila. These enabled:
NCIRS and ATAGI hosted incoming Philippine NITAG members for a collaborative learning visit in December 2025. The visit included:
As a technical partner of the GNN, NCIRS is committed to:
NCIRS gratefully acknowledges the support and collaboration of partner country governments, public health institutions and NITAGs, as well as the following technical partners:
NCIRS also gratefully acknowledges additional support provided by the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.
