After ten years of operation, Innovation to Impact (I2I) will be ending in October 2026.

In its ten years, I2I has developed significant and meaningful professional relationships and programmes across the field of vector control, working to bridge the gap between colleagues in industry, national control programmes, academia, and WHO to support the informed decision making necessary to effectively bring vector control products to communities that need them.

Under the directorship of Angus Spiers, I2I focussed on the development of the I2I Industry Group, bringing together voices across the vector control product industry to assess and address the key issues facing industry partners in bringing vector control products to market. I2I supported country registration, organising regulatory workshops with regional stakeholders and country teams, and supported WHO PQ to develop the collaborative procedure for vector control (CRP) and adapt engagement approaches for vector control. Angus’ leadership was pivotal in creating and supporting I2I’s engagement across sectors, and in his final years working at I2I, he championed work on ITN durability through the Resistance to Damage (RD) score project and set the stage for the Vector Control Professional Placement Programme (VCP3). In 2024, Angus left I2I to spend his last year with his family, and in 2025, he passed away.

We remember Angus with affection and gratitude. He was truly the heart of I2I, and his spirit, dedication, and contribution will remain an enduring part of the I2I programme and legacy.

Angus Spiers, Director of I2I

The past two years have seen the close of several I2I programmes, the transfer of programmes to other groups and organisations, and the successful launch and completion of the final I2I programme, the Vector Control Professional Placement Programme (VCP3).

In 2025, I2I launched the VCP3 with industry partners Envu and Vestergaard. Two exceptional researchers, Margaret Njoroge from ICIPE and Jackline Martine from NIMR Mwanza, were the inaugural candidates for the VCP3 programme. Envu and Vestergaard were exceptional partners in this programme, and it is because of the dedication of both the VCP3 candidates, and our partners at Envu and Vestergaard that this programme could be so successful.

The I2I team are grateful to everyone who has supported and followed the work of I2I over the past ten years and is deeply proud of the work of I2I and the commitment and dedication of our colleagues and partners. It is hoped that the work that I2I initiated and supported will continue to gain momentum and grow in the years to come building on the mission of I2I to reduce the impact of vector-borne diseases and contribute to their eventual elimination by improving the product development landscape for vector control tools and develop the individuals and networks that fuel innovation within the vector control product development landscape.

Thank you to everyone who has been committed to the work, programmes, and people of Innovation to Impact.