ARIA – Regional Immunisation Support and Engagement 2 (RISE-2)

ARIA, in partnership with the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS), has been successful in securing funding for the RISE-2 grant from the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). 

RISE-2 is being implemented from July 2024 to June 2027 as part of the Australian Government’s Partnerships for a Healthy Region (PHR) initiative and builds on the success of two previous Australian Government funded programs: the ARIA Regional Immunisation Support and Engagement (ARIA-RISE) initiative; and the Australian Expert Technical Assistance Program for Regional COVID-19 Vaccine Access: Policy, Planning, and Implementation (AETAP-PPI). 

Under RISE-2, NCIRS and ARIA – which represents over 90 ARIA members and more than 12 affiliated organisations including universities and technical institutes – will harness the collective skills of ARIA members and experts, and work with other key agencies (including the World Health Organization, United Nations International Children’s Education Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance) to support ministries of health and program partners to establish safe, effective, equitable and accessible immunisation programs. Gender equality, disability equity and social inclusion principles will be embedded in all aspects of work funded under the grant.

RISE-2 activities will contribute to preventing mortality and morbidity related to vaccine preventable diseases, including through improved immunisation coverage, strengthened health systems, and increased and equitable utilisation of new and existing vaccines. 

RISE-2, funding round 1 projects include:

  • Supporting immunisation programs in the Pacific: Collaborative adaption, implementation, and evaluation of vaccine education resources. Project lead: A/Prof. Jane Frawley, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)
  • Impact of electronic immunisation register alerts and recall on vaccination rates in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR). Project lead: A/Prof Meru Sheel, University of Sydney
  • Vaccine Champions and Vaccine Communication in Papua New Guinea: Establishing a training-of-trainers (ToT) program to build confidence in routine immunisation. Project lead: Ms Milena Dalton and Dr Delly Babona, Burnet Institute
  • Rotavac Rotavirus immunisation program evaluation: Timor-Leste. Project lead: Dr Nevio Sarmento, Menzies School of Health Research
  • Strengthening prevention of hepatitis B in children across the maternal-infant care cascade in Papua New Guinea: Hepatitis B vaccine knowledge and acceptability, seroprevalence and cost effectiveness of interventions to bolster immunisation in national efforts to prevent vertical transmission of hepatitis B. Project lead: Prof Angela Kelly Hanku, The Kirby Institute
  • Strengthening the National HPV Vaccine Program in Vanuatu. Project lead: The Kirby Institute
  • Co-design and delivery of interventions to increase vaccination. Project lead: A/Prof Meru Sheel, University of Sydney

RISE-2, funding round 2 projects include:

  • Using social listening to drive action to improve HPV and childhood vaccine uptake in the Philippines. Project lead: Jessica Kaufman, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute
  • Strengthening Laboratory and Surveillance Capacity to Support Cambodia’s HPV Vaccination Program. Project lead: Dorothy Machalek, Kirby Institute, UNSW
  • Strengthening equitable immunisation in Thailand: Evidence and engagement for migrant populations at risk of pertussis and other vaccine-preventable diseases. Project lead: Luis Furuya Kanamori, University of Queensland
  • Strengthening Immunisation Service Delivery Across the Pacific: Integrating Immunisation Training into the Pre-Service Midwifery Curriculum. Project lead: Milena Dalton, Burnet Institute
  • Vaccine economics capacity building for National Immunisation Technical Advisory Groups. Project lead: Natalie Carvalho, University of Melbourne

RISE-2 projects Southeast Asia:

  • Increasing child immunisation coverage in displaced Myanmar populations Project lead: Milena Dalton, Burnet Institute
  • Strengthening AEFI Causality Assessment in Lao PDR. Project lead: Kristine Macartney, NCIRS
  • Behavioural and social drivers of vaccine uptake among ethnic populations in Lao PDR. Project lead: Meru Sheel, Sydney University
  • Strengthening Vietnam’s immunisation program and measles outbreak response support. Project lead: Ann Burton, NCIRS
  • Rabies response technical assistance. Project lead: Sarah Sheridan, NCIRS

 

Learn about ARIA-RISE projects on the ARIA Project Hub.
 

Connect with NCIRS and ARIA 

For any enquiries, please email the ARIA Secretariat.

Last updated January 2026