Four vaccine hubs have received a share of £33 million of UK aid funding via the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and a further £1.5 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The hubs will be part of the UK Vaccine Network (UKVN) Project, which aims to develop vaccines for diseases with epidemic potential in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including work with partners in Vietnam, Bangladesh, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana.

Imperial College London is leading two of the four hubs, which include researchers across the Faculties of Medicine, Natural Sciences, Engineering, and the Business School, administering a total of £17 million.  

The Future Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hub, led by Professor Robin Shattock, Chair in Mucosal Infection and Immunity at Imperial, has been awarded £10.5 million for 4.5 years. 

Partnering with three other UK universities, two UK institutes, and eight companies, the Hub has been established to increase immunisation coverage across the globe and improve the response to viral outbreaks through the rapid and cost-effective manufacturing and deployment of vaccines. 

The team plans to innovate and disrupt vaccine production by developing reliable technologies that low- and middle-income countries can adopt to produce vaccines cost-effectively, at scale and in compliance with regulatory requirements. 

The Hub will also partner with GSK Vaccines Institute for Global Health, Cytiva, Centillion, Sartorius BIA Separations, and FujiFilm Diosynth Biotechnologies. Manufacturing research projects will be carried out with the following partners: Incepta, Bangladesh; and VABIOTECH, Vietnam; and BioVac, South Africa.