Who We Are >> RFPs & Careers >> Call for applications – Community Advisory Panel (CAP) – (Voluntary and non-remunerated position)
full-time
fixed-term
Application Deadline: 30 November 2026
Complete the fields below to apply.*Required
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) is a United Nations-backed public health organisation working to increase access to, and facilitate the development of, medicines and other health products for people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). MPP does this by identifying medicines and health technologies needed in LMICs, in partnership with WHO and other stakeholders, including communities and civil society, and licensing patented products to enable generic manufacturers to develop, manufacture and supply medicines and other health products to LMICs. To date, MPP has signed agreements with fifteen patent holders for thirteen HIV antiretrovirals, one HIV technology platform, three hepatitis C direct-acting antivirals, a tuberculosis treatment, two long-acting technologies, two oral antiviral treatments for COVID-19, 12 other COVID-19 health technologies and one influenza treatment. MPP was founded by Unitaid, which continues to be a key funder. MPP’s work is also funded by the Government of Canada, Coefficient Giving, the German Federal Foreign office, the Government of Flanders, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
More information at https://medicinespatentpool.org/ and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
The Community Advisory Panel (CAP) is a group of individuals with lived experience in disease areas relevant to MPP’s work who provide advice and guidance from a community and end-user perspective. CAP members contribute to MPP’s prioritisation of medical technologies, provide input on disease-area priorities, and may support the review of proposed licensing agreements. Through the CAP, community voices help inform MPP’s efforts to increase access to affordable, quality health products in LMICs.
The CAP was launched in 2023 and currently comprises 32 members across several disease areas. With the launch of MPP’s new strategy [2026–2030] and the continued expansion of our work into new disease areas and health products, we are now growing the panel to ensure that the communities affected by our evolving portfolio are represented. This call forms part of that expansion.
MPP is looking for CAP members with a proven track record of representing the interests of affected communities (with affiliation to a community network or other similar organization being a plus). The applicants should also demonstrate commitment to MPP’s mission and have an understanding of the MPP business model. Full proficiency in English language is necessary.
To complement MPP’s current CAP members, we are looking specifically for community representatives living with or affected by:
We welcome applications from individuals based in any low- or middle-income country, including from geographical regions that are under-represented in the current CAP such as: Middle East and North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Southeast Asia and Western Pacific.
The CAP serves a key advisory role in providing MPP with critical insights and guidance from its members’ lived experiences as they pertain to specific disease areas, as well as public health, as relates to the ongoing work of MPP. The CAP is a panel of individuals that are supportive of MPP’s mission and work to accelerate access to needed medicines and health technologies and are able and willing to provide relevant advice to the organisation in the disease area for which they have been selected. CAP members serve two primary functions:
1) Ad-Hoc Advice: The members of the CAP shall, at the request of the MPP Executive Director or a delegated staff member, provide:
2) Provide support to the Expert Advisory Group (EAG): CAP members may also be called upon to support the work of the MPP’s EAG. The EAG advises the MPP Governance Board and the Executive Director on licence negotiations and assesses whether the terms and conditions of a proposed licence agreement meet the requirements. At least two CAP members who have expertise in a particular disease or technological area relevant to a proposed licence will be invited by the MPP Executive Director to participate in discussions relating to the proposed licence. These disease-specific community representatives will then be requested to confidentially review drafts of a proposed licence and offer comments to the EAG. The EAG function is described in further detail within the Terms of Reference for the Expert Advisory Group.
CAP members, while representing their communities, will serve in their personal capacity. CAP members are required to abide by MPP general policies, disclose any potential conflicts of interest and, if participating in the review of licences, sign a confidentiality agreement. More on MPP policies: https://medicinespatentpool.org/who-we-are/statutes-by-laws-policies/. Participation in the CAP is voluntary and will not be remunerated. Where travel is required as part of the CAP member’s mandate, reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed in accordance with the MPP Travel and Expenses Policy.
CAP members serve a three-year term, for a maximum of two consecutive terms or six years. The primary means by which the CAP will operate shall be via email or teleconference, provided that, as necessary and appropriate, members of the CAP may be invited to attend in-person meetings (all expenses paid) for specific MPP-supported activities or events, including during regional or international conferences.
Interested applicants are requested to send their CV and a motivation statement (1-2 pages maximum) outlining:
Application can be submitted via online form (available on MPP website) or via email to recruitment@medicinespatentpool.org with the subject “CAP candidate nomination” by November 30 2026 at midnight CET. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
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