Jenner Institute out of pocket with expected loss of its largest funder, the European Commission

The head of a UK institute behind a promising coronavirus vaccine candidate is concerned about how to replace European Union funding after Brexit.

Adrian Hill, who is director of the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford (pictured), made the comments following news that their vaccine—known as ChAdOx1 nCoV-19—had produced a promising immune response in a large, early-stage human trial.

The potential vaccine is being developed in collaboration with pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, with the first deliveries potentially starting in September. The UK has already ordered 100 million doses of the vaccine.

Responding to a question from Research Professional News on the impact of Brexit on vaccine development during a Science Media Centre briefing on 20 July, Hill said that while the Covid-19 vaccine did not rely on EU funding, the institute does rely heavily on funding from the European Commission.

“More generally across the programmes at the Jenner Institute—and there are more than 12 vaccines in clinical development now—the European Commission has probably been our largest funder over the past five years until now.

“So that’s going to leave a gap and we are working hard to try to fill that, but it’s not easy.”

Sarah Gilbert, professor of vaccinology at the institute added that non-Covid vaccine programmes, including on flu, are likely to be affected. She said: “We have had EU funding and it’s not clear where that kind of money is going to come from in future.”

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Pro China, EU & Palestine

It's been a tremendously difficult situation to weigh up as it's gone along, and even countries like Sweden who at one time were seen to have avoided lockdowns and the impact of covid (healthwise and economically) for the main part now appear to have avoided neither. Really I think with the various factors at play whatever approach we took would lead to a similar outcome (unless we had shut down 'very' early perhaps NZ style).

It is a fine line to tread I appreciate that. I was commenting more of peoples experiences (those for and against any restrictions really) of the pandemic so far. Tthere is a natural inclination for governments to take away rights rather than ever hand them back and so that is always a worry. That's why with for instance the Bristol protests, I'm not exactly overjoyed at people doing their own thing, but at the same time see them as convenient timing-wise to demonise and get the public to accept permanent stripping away of rights that might come back to haunt them. Also, the initial headlines and reports of policeman suffering broken arms, legs and so on all turned out not to false [Link] (but of course that wasn't reported), so it's more propaganda than news.

The authoritarianism point is a fair concern. No doubt the next big talking point will be 'vaccine passports'. I see sense in that for international travel for the time being (inbound and outbound) due to the masses of mutations and the like that could creep in and suddenly change things fast courtesy of being connected to many billions of people, but on a local level I can well understand why people would take issue with it. If individual events or venues want to fair enough, but the idea that you'd 'have to' to show vaccination status to gain entry to establishments, I'm not in favour of. Surely the whole idea of vaccinating the majority of people is that it reduces risk and normality can eventually resume. There will always be a certain level of risk, and a yearly jab will hopefully ensure it's kept to 'flu' levels of concern. And it can be updated yearly. To me that's as good as it's ever going to get. This is ultimately a worldwide issue and so I don't see that showing a vaccine passport to enter local venues here will make a blind but of difference to anything that is or isn't going to follow.

I’d be amazed if this continues indefinitely. Johnson has effectively staked his premiership on June being the last of the unified lockdowns. Also with a vaccine I cannot see us, well the UK anyway, relapsing.

The only way that would happen is if another type of virus decided to appear. And if that happens in the next 10 years we really are in the s***. Although I’d like to think that recency bias might help us out with better funded preparation this time!

Did you know? 98.0000001% of people are morons.

According to the WHO only 10% of 900 million people in the eu area have had a vaccine. Not sure if that 900 includes under 18s or even the UK but its very low. France in another lockdown and Italy deploying 70k more police to enforce theirs. On the whole then hmg hasn't and isn't doing too bad.

Which government The French? I have started watching Baron Noir which is a sort of French House of Cards they certainly know how to scheme and back stab in that show.

One more point

Article written in July. Is there not a possibility funding “issues” may have changed since then?