Pioneering an AI-driven approach to proactive vaccine development: the PREPAIR-VAC project launches
26 October 2026
Emerging infectious diseases have historically outpaced the development of countermeasures. This creates a critical window of vulnerability , allowing novel pathogens to reach widespread transmission before effective interventions become available. Maintaining a reactive posture within vaccine development gives emerging pathogens the time they need to escalate from localized outbreaks to global pandemics.
PREPAIR-VAC (PREParedness using Artificial Intelligence for Rapid VACcine design), a new project funded under the Horizon Europe framework, is poised to change this dynamic. The official launch of PREPAIR-VAC takes place on 22 October 2026 and coincides with the project's Kick-off Meeting (KoM), where representatives of all consortium partners are gathering in person to formally initiate the four-year collaboration and align on the scientific, technical, and operational roadmap for the project.
More than 70% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic in origin. Viruses such as H1N1 influenza evolve rapidly, often evading prediction and control mechanisms. Despite the effectiveness of vaccination as a public health measure, traditional development pipelines can take months to identify circulating strains and produce vaccines. This lag allows novel pathogens a critical window during which outbreaks can spread globally, highlighting the urgent need for faster, proactive, and more predictive approaches.
Shifting from Reactive to Proactive Vaccinology
The main objective of the PREPAIR-VAC is to establish and validate a rapid, scalable, and modular AI-driven pipeline for vaccine development that addresses every critical component of the pipeline: prediction of the evolution of pathogens, antigen selection and vaccine design and manufacturability. Specifically, the project aims to:
Anticipate viral evolution before outbreaks occur.
Identify conserved antigenic regions across various strains
Design optimised vaccine candidates
Accelerate scalable manufacturing processes
Validate efficacy through advanced preclinical models.
This AI-integrated pipeline represents a paradigm shift in vaccinology, enabling faster and more efficient responses to future pandemics. The value of PREPAIR-VAC is in its comprehensive, end-to-end strategy.
Along with the Science: Ethics, Society, and Policy dimension
PREPAIR-VAC recognises that scientific excellence alone is not sufficient to achieve meaningful impact. The project therefore places strong emphasis on the ethical, societal, and regulatory dimensions of AI-driven vaccine development. Through dedicated stakeholder engagement activities, PREPAIR-VAC will identify barriers to the acceptance and deployment of AI-enabled vaccines while fostering dialogue among researchers, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the public. Addressing these considerations from the outset is essential to ensure that AI-driven solutions are trustworthy, ethical, transparent, and free from bias. PREPAIR-VAC will help build a responsible, inclusive, and trustworthy innovation ecosystem for next-generation vaccine development.
A Powerful European Partnership
Coordinated by the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI), the consortium brings together internationally recognised experts from academia, industry, and public health, covering the full spectrum of vaccine research and development.
Key partners include NEC OncoImmunity AS and NEC Bio Therapeutics GmbH, providing expertise in AI-driven antigen prediction; NEVEZYNE SAS, contributing silkworm-based protein production; Croda Denmark A/S, leading adjuvant development; Université Jean Monnet – Saint-Étienne, responsible for preclinical validation; and Uppsala Universitet, Niedersächsisches Landesgesundheitsamt, and Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, contributing expertise in ethical, legal, and societal frameworks to support the responsible development and implementation of novel vaccine technologies.
“PREPAIR‑VAC represents a decisive step toward a new generation of AI‑enabled vaccine design,” says Dr Nicola Viebig, Director of Research at EVI.
“By bringing together leading experts from academia, industry, and public health, we are building a powerful and forward‑looking European partnership that can accelerate the development of broadly protective vaccines and strengthen our preparedness for future pandemics.”
By accelerating the path from pathogen detection to vaccine availability, PREPAIR-VAC has the potential to significantly strengthen Europe’s preparedness and response capacity. Its scalable AI-driven platform is designed not only for influenza but also for future emerging infectious diseases, making it a critical contribution to global health security.
About PREPAIR-VAC
PREPAIR-VAC: PREParedness using Artificial Intelligence for Rapid VACcine design, is a Horizon Europe-funded project (Grant Agreement No. 101289538) aiming to develop a rapid, scalable, and AI-driven vaccine development pipeline to improve pandemic preparedness and response.
Webpage: https://prepair-vac.eu/
Start date: 01 September 2026; End date: 31 August 2030
Coordinator:
European Vaccine Initiative (EVI), G
ermany
Partners:
NEC OncoImmunity AS, Norway
NEC Bio Therapeutics GmbH, Germany
NEVEZYNE SAS, France
Croda Denmark A/S, Denmark
Uppsala Universitet, Sweden
Université Jean Monnet – Saint Etienne, France
Niedersächsisches Landesgesundheitsamt, Germany
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
