PREPAIR-VAC Kick-off Meeting

PREPAIR-VAC Project Kicks Off in Heidelberg

03 November 2026

PREPAIR-VAC, a four-year pan-European project, has held its kick-off meeting in Heidelberg on 22 October 2026. The project aims to build and validate a rapid, scalable and modular AI-driven pipeline for vaccine development, covering pathogen evolution forecasting, antigen selection, vaccine design and manufacturability, to move vaccinology from a reactive to a proactive approach.

More than 20 representatives of the project’s 7 partners and 2 affiliated entities came together in Heidelberg to discuss the upcoming workplan, covering key aspects of the project such as virus evolution, the vaccine design, manufacturing, the assessment of mucosal and systemic immunity, ethical, societal and regulatory readiness for AI-driven vaccines, as well as communication and dissemination activities.

Representatives from the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) also attended the meeting, highlighting the alignment between PREPAIR-VAC's objectives and HERA's mission, as well as the project's strategic relevance within the European health preparedness landscape.

"By bringing together complementary expertise in vaccinology, AI and ethics, we can create valuable synergies, accelerate vaccine research and ensure that innovation is developed responsibly, helping strengthen preparedness for future pandemics"

Adriana Vives, Project Manager, European Vaccine Initiative

Each of the nine organisations – European Vaccine Initiative, Nevezyne, Croda Denmark, Université Jean Monnet Saint-Étienne, NEC OncoImmunity, Uppsala University, Niedersächsisches Landesgesundheitsamt, NEC Bio Therapeutics GmbH and Medizinische Hochschule Hannover – presented and discussed their responsibilities under the workplan. Together, they outlined how the project will be run and agreed on ways of working. Partners left Heidelberg ready to build on the momentum.

With a shared vision and a strong multidisciplinary foundation, PREPAIR-VAC now moves into the implementation phase, bringing together scientific, technological and ethical expertise to advance a new approach to vaccine research and development.