The Bacterial Vaccines Network (BactiVac) hosted by the University of Birmingham, will receive £1.8 million in new funding over the next three years from the Department of Health and Social Care’s UK Vaccine Network (UKVN).
This investment will expand BactiVac’s Catalyst Project programme, supporting early stage vaccine research focused on bacterial pathogens with outbreak potential that disproportionately affect low and middle income countries (LMICs). The funding will empower researchers across BactiVac’s global community to generate the critical early stage data needed to advance promising bacterial vaccine candidates. By prioritising bacterial pathogens of significant public health importance in LMICs, particularly those that remain under served by existing vaccine development efforts, the programme aims to address key gaps in global outbreak preparedness and contribute to more equitable access to future bacterial vaccines.
Welcoming the award, Professor Adam Cunningham, Director of BactiVac, said:
“This funding enables us to accelerate innovative vaccine research targeting bacterial pathogens that can cause outbreaks in low‑resource settings. It reinforces BactiVac’s commitment to supporting research with the potential to deliver meaningful and lasting global health impact.
“Many of the bacterial pathogens we prioritise continue to cause significant illness and mortality in low‑ and middle‑income countries, yet remain poorly represented in current vaccine development pipelines. This investment allows us to accelerate progress, strengthen research capacity, and directly address critical unmet needs in global health.”
The BactiVac Network has already supported more than 120 projects, enabling researchers from around the world to advance life‑saving bacterial vaccine research. This new funding further strengthens our commitment to the development of urgently needed bacterial vaccines and to enhancing global preparedness for emerging bacterial threats.
