About us

What is the BactiVac Network? 

BactiVac is an international network dedicated to accelerating the development, evaluation, and implementation of vaccines against bacterial infections affecting both humans and animals. Established in 2017 and hosted by the University of Birmingham, the Network brings together researchers, clinicians, industry partners, policymakers, veterinarians, and public health professionals from across the world.

Our work is driven by the recognition that bacterial infections continue to impose a substantial burden on global health, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and regions with the greatest unmet need. At the same time, many bacterial pathogens lack effective vaccines, while existing vaccines do not always provide adequate protection.

BactiVac fosters multidisciplinary collaboration, strengthens research capacity, facilitates knowledge exchange, and supports innovative approaches to bacterial vaccinology. By bringing together expertise across the vaccine development pathway, BactiVac seeks to overcome the scientific, technical, translational, regulatory, and implementation challenges that limit progress.

Through a One Health approach that recognises the interconnected health of people, animals, and their environments, BactiVac works to advance vaccines that reduce the burden of bacterial diseases, address health inequities, and ensure that the benefits of vaccination reach the populations that need them most.

The Network is directed by Professor Adam Cunningham and is hosted at the University of Birmingham. The Network is managed and governed (PDF, 103KB) by the:

• Network Operations Management Group (PDF, 668KB) - responsible for the day to day management and delivery of the BactiVac Network’s strategy, making decisions related to its operational delivery
• Network Management Oversight Board (PDF, 701KB) - responsible for devising and reviewing BactiVac Network strategy, making decisions related to its implementation
• Network Advisory Board (PDF, 323KB) - composed of senior members of the bacterial vaccinology community and responsible for providing non-binding but informed guidance

Our Vision

Our vision is to save lives by accelerating the development and use of vaccines against bacterial infections relevant to low and middle income countries (LMICs).

Why do we need a bacterial vaccine network?

• Infections cause >20% of all deaths worldwide, and kill disproportionately in low and middle income countries
• Bacterial infections kill approx. five million people annually, with the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis limiting further our options for controlling infections
• Vaccines save millions of lives yearly and are a cost-effective approach to prevent infectious disease and their devastating sequelae
• Vaccines work silently in the background, promoting the body’s ability to kill the pathogen before an infection is established
• Studying vaccines also allows us to study immune function in health and disease

BactiVac was established in August 2017 to help address this and is one of five vaccinology networks funded to support discrete areas of vaccine research.

What do we want to achieve?

• For many bacterial diseases, there is either no vaccine or the existing vaccine does not provide complete protection
• New vaccines against bacterial infections will help people worldwide, but most directly those in LMICs
• There are many barriers that limit vaccine development and implementation
• These barriers can be scientific, such as what antigens to target, or economic issues, such as neglect due to lack of commercial viability

BactiVac is an open, multidisciplinary network of experts helping to overcome barriers limiting the generation of new vaccines and their use where needed. To do this, we will continue to:

• Grow awareness of the need for bacterial vaccines and ensure we represent the interests of our members to a wide range of stakeholders
• Promote close interaction and collaboration between members and across disciplines, encouraging the dissemination of skills and best practice
• Help achieve this through subsidised network meetings, bringing key experts and opinion makers together to discuss recent advances
• Provide catalyst funding for projects and training to grow new directions and capacity, leading to further, larger grant funding