Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support research into (a) second and (b) third generation covid-19 vaccines.

The Department-funded National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) research infrastructure actively supports research funded by the life sciences industry, charities and other funders; enabling the development of new interventions to prevent disease, including novel vaccines. The NIHR’s Clinical Research Network supports the set-up and delivery of commercial and non-commercial studies in England, including those investigating second and third generation COVID-19 vaccines, for example AstraZeneca’s Beta variant vaccine.

The Vaccine Taskforce (VTF) works closely with developers to understand any plans for variant vaccines and to ensure vaccines continued efficacy against new variants of concern. The VTF keeps emerging vaccine technologies under review.