Notice

VTF objectives and membership of the steering group

Updated 21 October 2021

This notice was withdrawn on

The Vaccine Taskforce closed in October 2022. Its vaccine supply responsibilities have moved to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and its work in onshoring vaccine manufacture now sits within the Office for Life Sciences (OLS).

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Objectives of the Taskforce

The Vaccine Taskforce (VTF) was set up to drive forward the development and production of a coronavirus vaccine as quickly as possible, bringing together government, academia and industry.

The VTF was established in April 2020. It has 3 main objectives:

  1. Secure access to promising COVID-19 vaccines for the UK population as quickly as possible.
  2. Make provision for international distribution of vaccines.
  3. Strengthen the UK’s onshoring capacity and capability in vaccine development, manufacturing and supply chain to provide resilience for future pandemics.

The VTF is a joint unit between the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). It consists of a mix of civil servants, external secondees from industry, and contractors. This is to make sure that the VTF has access to the deep, specialist expertise in vaccine preclinical and clinical development, regulatory issues, manufacturing, and project management necessary to deliver its objectives.

As of September 2021, the VTF has 270 staff.

Decision making

Decisions on all vaccine supply contracts and major investments in manufacturing and clinical opportunities are taken by the relevant government ministers. Day-to-day procurement decisions and contracting are handled by the civil service in line with usual processes.

Membership

Sir Richard Sykes

Chair, Vaccine Taskforce

Madelaine McTernan

Director General, Vaccine Taskforce

Dr Matt James

Commercial Director, Vaccine Taskforce

Steve Glass OBE

Programme Director Vaccines & Antibodies, Vaccine Taskforce

Ben Golding

Strategy Director, Vaccine Taskforce

Tim Colley OBE

International Director, Vaccine Taskforce

Tim Cullen OBE

Onshoring Programme Director, Vaccine Taskforce

Professor Paul Kellam

Scientific Advisor, Vaccine Taskforce

Steve Bagshaw

Manufacturing Advisor, Vaccine Taskforce

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam MBE

Clinical and Public Health Adviser, Vaccine Taskforce; Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC)

Publications

This interim report outlines the progress VTF made in 2020 to secure vaccines for the UK, working internationally to develop and increase access to vaccines, and building the UK’s capability in vaccine development:

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