CVR - Coronavirus Vaccines R&D Roadmap

Milestone
5.3.b

Platform transfer

In progress

Through global initiatives supporting the manufacture of various vaccine-platform technologies: (1) design and build manufacturing sites meeting the GMP criteria for vaccines, (2) transfer expertise for various vaccine platforms and other relevant technologies, and (3) begin producing vaccines in at least several new locations, with a plan to maintain capacity over time and through inter-pandemic years.

Progress Highlights

The WHO mRNA Vaccine Technology Transfer Programme, co-led by Medicines Patent Pool, supports the expansion of mRNA manufacturing capacity in LMICs through a global network of partners providing technology transfer, training, and technical support. Its first hub, focusing on COVID-19 vaccines, was inaugurated in 2023 in South Africa. The program has since evolved into a more mature platform supporting broader mRNA vaccines and therapeutics, and is now integrated within WHO’s Health Technology Access Programme (HTAP) to advance sustainable, country-led manufacturing capacity.

CEPI’s Vaccine Manufacturing Facility Network (VMFN) (launched in 2022) connects vaccine manufacturers across the global south. The program aims to grow the global vaccine production base to improve outbreak readiness and support member sustainability in inter-epidemic periods. As of early 2026, the network comprises 6 global south partners across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Africa

Africa CDC and Unitaid established a partnership in 2025 to strengthen regional production and equitable access to health products in Africa, supporting manufacturing capacity alongside regulatory, market, and access pathways to improve availability of locally produced vaccines and other health technologies.

At the 2nd Vaccine and Health Products Manufacturing Forum (Cairo, February 2025), convened by Africa CDC, development finance institutions including Afreximbank, the African Development Bank, European Investment Bank, World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and Agence Française de Développement outlined financing options and partnerships to accelerate regional vaccine manufacturing, highlighting growing coordination to support Africa’s local production goals.

The African Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) was launched in 2024 by Gavi and in partnership with the African Union and Africa CDC, with $1.2 billion invested to advance regional GMP capacity through catalytic financing. AVMA supports manufacturers through long-term demand signals and financial incentives, including complementary financing mechanisms, aimed at addressing early-stage financing barriers and strengthening the enabling environment for local production.

The African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation supports regional manufacturing by facilitating technology transfer, access to platform know-how, and capacity building for GMP-compliant production, contributing to the long-term sustainability of African vaccine manufacturing ecosystems. In 2024, the African Development Bank committed $12 million to support its operationalization.

Disu 2024 describes how the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative (AVMI) operates as a pan-African industry convener that, aligned with Africa CDC’s PAVM and GAVI’s AVMA, advances technology transfer, regulatory strengthening, financing, and demand-shaping to expand quality-assured, multi-site vaccine manufacturing in Africa with mechanisms (e.g., pooled procurement) to sustain capacity between pandemics.

In 2023, WHO’s Local Production and Assistance unit convened regulators, industry, and partners from 11 African countries, supported by Gavi, UNICEF, and PAVM, to strengthen local vaccine-manufacturing ecosystems, align with WHO GMP/GxP standards, and bolster quality assurance in African production

The African Development Bank supports regional vaccine and pharmaceutical manufacturing through financing, partnerships, and technology transfer initiatives, including operational support for the African Pharmaceutical Technology Foundation (with $12 million committed to its launch). This work forms part of a broader AfDB effort to mobilize up to $3 billion over the next decade to strengthen pharmaceutical and vaccine manufacturing capacity across Africa. Activities also include country-level partnerships (e.g., with Nigeria’s National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development) and engagement with global manufacturers (e.g., India) to explore investment and partnership opportunities in the pharmaceutical sector.

Asia

The Asian Development Bank has approved financing packages (2023–2024) to support vaccine manufacturing, regulatory systems, and health security infrastructure in Asia, strengthening regional capacity and reducing reliance on external supply, including a $336.5 million loan package in November 2023 to support the manufacturing and regulation of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics and promote vaccine supply security in Bangladesh.

Latin America and the Caribbean 

PAHO, together with Global Affairs Canada and regional partners, is supporting the development of mRNA vaccine ecosystems in Argentina and Brazil. This includes advancing local production capabilities, strengthening value chains, and reducing import dependency. Activities include development of mRNA vaccine candidates (e.g., preclinical development at BioManguinhos in Brazil), integration of manufacturers such as Sinergium Biotech (Argentina) and BioManguinhos (Brazil) into the WHO mRNA Technology Transfer Programme, and exploration of licensing and technology transfer models to enable broader regional manufacturing.

CEPI and PAHO signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2024 to strengthen regional epidemic and pandemic preparedness in Latin America and the Caribbean. The partnership focuses on sharing technical expertise and supporting Member States to advance vaccine research and development, manufacturing capacity, clinical trials, and rapid deployment of vaccines, building on prior collaboration to support technology transfer and regional production.

Latin America and the Caribbean

CEPI committed $18 million in 2024 to strengthen Brazil’s Bio-Manguinhos/Fiocruz manufacturing capacity, funding rapid-response mRNA and viral-vector platforms and a new WHO-GMP “fill-and-finish” facility (CIBS) at the Santa Cruz campus.

Oceania

Moderna opened its first commercial-scale mRNA vaccine manufacturing plant in Melbourne, Australia, in 2024 to enhance pandemic preparedness.

Africa

African Manufacturing Accelerator (AVMA) investments catalyzed two new manufacturing agreements in 2025: Egypt’s EVA Pharma (with DNA Script/Quantoom/Unizima) to build Africa’s first end-to-end mRNA platform (100M doses/year) and Egypt’s Biogeneric Pharma to partner with South Africa’s Afrigen on mRNA R&D. 

The MADIBA (Manufacturing in Africa for Disease Immunization and Building Autonomy) initiative, led by the Institut Pasteur de Dakar, is establishing a regional vaccine manufacturing hub in Senegal to support routine and outbreak vaccine production across multiple platforms. Supported by a consortium of funders (CEPI, the European Union, European Investment Bank, Mastercard Foundation, and other governments and multilaterals), the program is expanding drug substance manufacturing, bioprocessing capacity, and quality systems, while building workforce and technical capabilities. As part of CEPI’s global manufacturing network, the initiative aims to enable rapid vaccine production for Global South countries. 

CEPI and Gates Foundation are providing funding support ($15 million from each) to Aspen in South Africa through a 10-year agreement to strengthen capacity to manufacture routine and outbreak vaccines for Africa, supporting sustainable regional vaccine production capacity for future epidemics and pandemics.

BioNTech's Modular Facilities: In February 2022, BioNTech introduced the "BioNTainer," a modular system designed for scalable mRNA vaccine production. The first facility utilizing this system was inaugurated in Kigali, Rwanda, in December 2023, marking BioNTech's initial manufacturing site in Africa. CEPI committed $145 million in May 2024 to support the project.

Asia 

Samsung Biologics joined CEPI’s VMFN in 2026, becoming the Network’s first East Asia partner and focusing on establishing scalable capacity for protein-based vaccines, including through their mammalian cell-based platform, with an initial budget of up to US$20 million to support capacity development. In a pandemic situation, Samsung Biologics will provide CEPI with guaranteed access to up to potentially 50 million vaccine doses and one billion doses of drug substance.

Bio Farma in Indonesia and CEPI have signed a 10-year agreement to expand mRNA and viral vector vaccine manufacturing capacity in Indonesia and strengthen epidemic preparedness and response in the ASEAN region.

In 2024, the Serum Institute of India joined CEPI’s VMFN to support rapid production and supply of outbreak vaccines for testing and large-scale deployment during epidemics and pandemics, with an investment from CEPI of up to $30 million to strengthen this capacity.

The Asian Development Bank is supporting the establishment of a vaccine manufacturing facility in Bangladesh, including production infrastructure capable of manufacturing up to 58 million vaccine vials annually and supporting full-cycle and fill-and-finish production aligned with WHO GMP standards.

The World Health Organization Biomanufacturing Workforce Training Initiative (launched in 2023) is a global program to strengthen workforce capacity across the vaccine and biologics manufacturing value chain. Delivered through Korea’s Global Training Hub (with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the International Vaccine Institute) and a growing network of WHO-designated regional training centers, it provides standardized and context-specific training in GMP, bioprocessing, regulatory science, and production scale-up.

  • WHO developed the Virtual cGMP Training Marathon for “Vaccine Manufacturing: Principles into Practice” in 2023, an open-access, virtual training program on WHO vaccine-specific GMP standards and practices for industry and regulators. It is the flagship program under one pillar of the Training Initiative, supporting annual training events, with the most recent one completed in late 2025.

In Latin America, PAHO, in collaboration with Fiocruz and Instituto Butantan, delivered regional training through the MERCOSUR course on vaccine development and production, combining technical instruction with practical exposure to manufacturing environments,

The Africa CDC Regional Capability and Capacity Network (RCCN), established in 2024, supports workforce development across Africa through regional training networks designed to strengthen the skills base required for sustainable vaccine and health product manufacturing.

In Southeast Asia, ASEAN Vaccine Security and Self-Reliance (AVSSR) partners, including the International Vaccine Institute and Thailand’s National Vaccine Institute, conducted regional workforce and capacity-building programs in 2024 and 2025 focused on technology transfer, regulatory practices, and health security coordination, supporting regional self-reliance and pandemic preparedness.

The first African Vaccine Manufacturing Supply Chain Forum took place in February 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya, to assess African supply chain challenges and strengthen Africa’s existing vaccine manufacturing capacity.