The COVID-19 pandemic has brought into sharp focus the importance of strategies supporting vaccine development. During the pandemic, TRANSVAC, the European vaccine–research-infrastructure initiative, undertook an in-depth consultation of stakeholders to identify how best to position and sustain a European vaccine R&D infrastructure. The consultation included an online survey incorporating a gaps-and-needs analysis, follow-up interviews and focus-group meetings.

TRANSVAC represents a long-running effort to accelerate the development of novel vaccines by integrating institutions from across Europe under a single collaborative framework. This initiative has empowered the global vaccine community since 2009 including contributing toward the development and optimization of vaccine candidates as well as the provision of new adjuvants, research protocols, and technologies. Scientific services were provided in support of 88 different vaccine development projects, and 400 professionals attended TRANSVAC training events on various vaccine-related topics. Here, we review the accomplishments of the TRANSVAC consortia and analyze the continued needs of academic and industrial vaccine developers in Europe. The findings highlight the benefits of coordination across different sectors, both through research infrastructures such as TRANSVAC and other mechanisms, to address the current and future global health challenges and ensure that European vaccine developers have the support required to successfully compete in the global market.