VaxHub at Festival of the Girl 2026

After the COVID-19 pandemic, we all know how essential vaccines are. But, have you ever wondered how vaccines are developed – and who does this?
At the heart of this progress is VaxHub, i.e., the Future Vaccine Manufacturing Research Hubs. We are a pioneering academic collaboration co-led by UCL Biochemical Engineering and the Jenner Institute, Oxford.
Remember the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine? Work undertaken in the first VaxHub (2018-2023) has enabled the rapid development and manufacture of this vaccine. This work is continuing under two recently launched hubs:
- VaxHub Sustainable: focused on greener, more sustainable vaccine production and delivery.
-  VaxHub Global: dedicated to creating low-cost, globally deployable vaccines for low- and middle-income countries.
But science isn’t just for labs—it’s for everyone. Through VaxHub Outreach, we’re bringing that message to the Festival of the Girl 2026. With fun, hands-on activities, we’ll show young girls how vaccines are made, highlighting the many roles involved in making vaccines, especially that of engineers. We aim to inspire confidence that young girls can have an important role STEM, all
whilst having fun too!