Tokyo, Japan and Schiphol, Netherlands – NEC Corporation has announced its participation in PREPAIR VAC, a Horizon Europe–funded research project aimed at strengthening pandemic preparedness through the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in vaccine design. The grant has been awarded to NEC OncoImmunity AS (NOI)—a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Bio within NEC Corporation—alongside several European partners comprising a research consortium.
This four-year research grant beginning in September 2026, with a total budget of approximately €6.5M, aims to address major challenges in vaccine design in the context of pandemic preparedness, bringing together leading organizations across the vaccine development ecosystem. European partners from academia, industry, and public health have come together to establish a next generation vaccine development framework capable of responding more rapidly to emerging infectious diseases.
Within the consortium, NOI, the primary initiator of the project, is responsible for AI powered antigen prediction and vaccine design, applying its cutting edge and advanced technologies to anticipate viral evolution and design broadly protective antigens. This approach is intended to support the development of broadly protective vaccine candidates and reduce the time required to progress from pathogen identification to vaccine design.
Dr. Kaidre Bendjama, Chief Scientific Officer, NEC OncoImmunity, said:
“PREPAIR VAC reflects the European Commission’s confidence in the role of AI driven design in strengthening European pandemic preparedness. Building on our experience in the field, NEC is applying AI technologies to create novel rapidly scalable vaccines that address current pathogen and host diversity while anticipating future mutations. The consortium brings together complementary expertise across the vaccine development lifecycle to generate a solid proof-of-concept package using preclinical and translational models.”
The project is coordinated by the European Vaccine Initiative (EVI) and includes partners specializing in manufacturing, formulation, preclinical validation, and ethical, legal, regulatory and societal aspects of vaccine innovation. In addition to scientific and technological development, PREPAIR VAC also addresses responsible use of AI, public trust, and regulatory considerations.
