VITAL addresses the challenges of infections in the elderly and the potential of infection prevention by vaccination of the elderly. Through a multidisciplinary public-private approach, VITAL will generate health, economic and societal benefits. The VITAL project has started on January 1_^st 2019 and will run until 2023. 

Multidisciplinary approach

Through a multidisciplinary approach, VITAL will generate health, economic and societal benefits by mapping the disease burden of infectious diseases to be prevented by vaccines, Investigate immunity to infections and vaccinations in the ageing population, calculate the clinical and economic consequences of possible vaccination strategies in different age and risk groups, and develop teaching tools for stakeholders.

This is in line with recent recommendations from the European Council to strengthen cooperation against vaccine-preventable diseases by working on cross-border vaccination programs and develop research and development studies for a better understanding of the benefit of life-long vaccination impact.

Public-private Partnership

VITAL is sponsored by the European Union's Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries Associations (EFPIA). The partners in the international VITAL project include 7 academic research groups, 7 public health institutes, 3 private consultancy partners and 7 pharmaceutical industries with long-standing experience in epidemiology, health economy, clinical trials, immunology and public health.

University Medical Center (UMC) Utrecht will be the managing entity and scientific lead. The consortium academic leader is Debbie van Baarle, professor of Immunology of Vaccinations at UMC Utrecht and Head of the Department of Immune Mechanisms at the Centre for Immunology of Infectious Diseases and Vaccines at RIVM.