Maria Koufali UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway
Maria is the Programme Director of the Vaccine Innovation Pathway at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), bringing over 20 years of experience in driving strategy and innovation in health and life sciences research services. She has extensive experience collaborating with a wide range of research funders, local and national governments, the NHS, academia, and life sciences industry sectors.
Maria played a pivotal role in developing the UK Vaccine Innovation Pathway as the first Clinical Trials Delivery Accelerator. Her efforts are focused on attracting and nurturing research and innovation talent, as well as developing innovative research infrastructure and accelerated processes to ensure improved access to clinical trials for under-represented communities.
She holds a PhD from the Medical School at the University of Dundee and an executive MBA in Innovation Strategy from the University of Nottingham. Since 2005, Maria has held various roles within NHS Research and Innovation, NIHR, and more recently served as the Director for Research and Innovation at the East Genomics Medicine Service Alliance.