On May 23, 2025, The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) of the European Commission, through the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) announced the establishment of the “European Vaccines Hub (EVH) for Pandemic Readiness”, a pan-European center dedicated to advancing public-health–relevant vaccine development. The Grant Agreement marks a transformative step in public-health–relevant vaccine development. 

By integrating excellence in vaccine research, human monoclonal antibody (H-mAbs) development, clinical trials, and scalable manufacturing activities, EVH creates a dynamic and collaborative European environment.

The EVH consortium is made up of 11 Beneficiaries, 13 Affiliated and Associated entities, from 7 different countries, including leading EU organizations directly involved in vaccine development and in charge of pandemic preparedness in their own countries. The EVH project is coordinated by the “Sclavo Vaccines Association”, a non-profit organization based in Siena devoted to support vaccine research and development.

The EVH project contributes to the development of an agreed set of pandemic-prototype vaccines and scalable technologies through a consortium of major EU Vaccine R&D institutions and manufacturers, ensuring effective coordination of national vaccine research programs. EVH aligns with the current international consensus on pandemic-vaccine development, leveraging insights from existing prototypes to enable the rapid selection and deployment of the most suitable vaccine candidates in an emerging pandemic.

Structured around four pillars supporting key activities and infrastructures of the vaccine development pipeline, EVH integrates leading European institutions with distinct expertise and in charge of pandemic preparedness in their own countries. In detail:  Pillar 1 on “Discovery” is led by Fondazione Biotecnopolo di Siena (Italy), Pillar 2 on “Preclinicals studies” by Institut Pasteur (France), Pillar 3 on “Clinical studies” by Vaccinopolis (UAntwerpen, Belgium), and Pillar 4 on “Manufacturing” by DZIF and ZEPAI (Germany).

EVH aims thus not only to create a reactive R&D system and knowledge hub linking powerful leading research institutions, but also initiate vaccine-development projects, refining relevant processes and procedures within its framework.

The focus is on a select group of pathogens deemed critical for pandemic preparedness, as identified in the recently issued WHO Pathogens Prioritization report for the European region. From prototype design to clinical applications, the EVH drives innovation, enhance clinical evaluation capacities, and coordinate efforts with manufacturers while optimizing the digitalization of vaccine design and distribution processes.