New study released during World Immunisation week calls for calls for improved tracking and coordination of vaccine R&D in Australia
Sydney, Australia – As the world marks World Immunisation Week 2026, new research published this month in the international journal Vaccine highlights a critical challenge for Australia’s health innovation system, that whilst highly productive in early-stage vaccine research, it underperforms in translating discoveries with the study also highlighting limitations in how progress and impact are currently measured.
The study, led by Biointelect in collaboration with Dr Linda van de Burgwal, an expert in life science innovation systems from the Netherlands, provides a comprehensive analysis of Australia’s vaccine innovation system from 2000 to 2023.
Drawing on 642 patents, 522 publicly funded R&D grants, and 349 clinical trials, the research maps how vaccine innovation progresses through the system – and where it stalls.
Key findings include:
- Episodic increases in patenting activity, including a surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating the responsiveness of Australia’s innovation system
- A positive association between public R&D funding and inventive output, particularly in disease areas such as influenza, malaria, and HIV
- A persistent gap in translation, with domestic investment only partially converting into Australian-sponsored clinical trial activity
Dr Linda van de Burgwal said: “Australia has many of the key elements of a high-performing vaccine innovation system, particularly in early-stage research. The challenge is not scientific capability, but how effectively that innovation system supports progression through to later stages. Internationally, systems with stronger coordination tend to achieve better translation outcomes.”
The study also identifies a major barrier to progress: fragmented and inconsistent public datasets, which limit the ability to track vaccine candidates across the development lifecycle or link research funding to downstream outcomes.
Jennifer Herz, Founder and Director of Biointelect, said: “World Immunisation Week is a timely reminder that strong vaccines systems don’t stop at discovery. This work highlights how difficult it is to track progress and evaluate impact using existing data sources and why improving how we measure progression along the development pathway is critical to ensuring research investment translates into real-world health outcomes”
To address this, the authors propose adoption of a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework, alongside more consistent use of identifiers across datasets. These measures would improve visibility, enable more consistent tracking of vaccine assets, and support evaluation of funding impact over time.
The findings also underscore the importance of aligning national research priorities within a global context. Stronger coordination, the authors argue, could enhance Australia’s contribution to global health security while supporting growth in its biotechnology sector.
The results are consistent with Ambitious Australia, the strategic examination of R&D published in March this year.
Biointelect will further explore these findings at the Australian Vaccines Value Chain Conference (AVVCC26) in Sydney (September 2026), bringing together national and international stakeholders to discuss a range of topics including strategies to strengthen vaccine translation and public–private collaboration and partnerships.
Publication: Australia’s vaccine legacy: Time for a boost? Mapping an innovation system in a fragmented data environment, Vaccine (2026).
About Biointelect
Biointelect is an Australian life sciences advisory firm specialising in commercialisation strategy and innovation translation across regulatory, economics and policy, as well as clinical research execution.
In 2025, Biointelect was awarded $32.9m in MRFF funding to establish Biointelect Venturer, a national virtual incubator supporting SMES in the development of investment-ready ventures for the prevention of infectious disease.
Media Contact:
Jennifer Herz
Founder, Director, Biointelect
