Workshop: Global Health Access and Equity at the University of British Columbia

The University of British Columbia (UBC) raises the bar on standard practices in university tech transfer. out

On 11 March 2025, the University of British Columbia’s (UBC’s) Neglected Global Diseases Initiative (NGDI) hosted a workshop on Global Access Licensing. The speakers, from NGDI, the Medicines Patent Pool, Doctors Without Borders Canada, and UAEM North America, spoke about UBC’s trailblazing and enduring commitment to ensure global access to their health technologies. Despite much progress, challenges remain ahead.

Viewable below is a video recording of the workshop. Alongside it is the final report written by NGDI which summarizes the key takeaways from discussions and proposes a strategy of collective action–uniting universities across the US and Canada–to meet global health needs.

This commitment to global health equity at UBC began in 2007, after a UAEM student approached a UBC scientist and inquired about how his discovery of a new antifungal product might one day reach the people in poverty who need it most. We commend UBC’s steadfast efforts and will continue working with the university to see our shared vision come to life.