Vaccine Research and Development

WHO starts initiative for Vaccine Research that facilitates research and development (R&D) against microorganisms with significant economic burden and disease, with a particular focus on low and middle income countries. Our activities span the following areas:

• Facilitation of early stage R&D in disease areas with no available vaccines or sub-optimal vaccines
• Research to optimize public health impact where existing vaccines are underutilized,
• Research to aid introduction decision-making and post-licensure assessments of risk/benefit
• Research to improve monitoring and evaluation of vaccines in use in immunization.    

In the past days, the process of vaccine development occur through a series of steps that  take a long period of time or many years. Now, in given the urgent need for COVID-19 vaccines, uncommon financial investments and scientific collaborations are changing how vaccines are developed.