Vactech Oy has opened a new Research Hub at Tampere University’s Kauppi biocampus, further strengthening its role in the development of next-generation vaccines and vaccine technologies.
The Kauppi campus hosts around 600 experts, and together with Tampere University Hospital it forms a leading Finnish cluster for medicine, biosciences and health sciences, where top researchers and companies work side by side. By joining this environment, Vactech deepens its collaboration with world-class experts in virology and vaccine immunology.
“Opening this Research Hub further intensifies Vactech’s collaboration with leading virology and vaccine immunology researchers. Our shared goal is to develop effective new vaccine technologies and scalable vaccine manufacturing methods to prevent autoimmune and infectious diseases,” says Vactech CEO Tero Välimaa.
Over many years, research in these fields has created a strong competence cluster in Tampere with extensive international partnerships. Building on this foundation, Vactech is expanding its collaborations with other leading institutions, including Karolinska Institutet, Oslo University Hospital, University of Helsinki, INSERM Paris, University of Tartu, University of Oulu and Turku, and University of New South Wales. These partners are involved in the ENT1DEP European Union Horizon Europe research and innovation programme project, which focuses on generating new knowledge about the causal links between infectious diseases (IDs) and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), as well as the host factors that regulate infection outcomes.
Professor Heikki Hyöty emphasizes the strategic importance of close collaboration between universities and companies, and of dedicated Research Hubs, in advancing preventive medicine:
“These partnerships are essential for revolutionizing preventive medicine with groundbreaking vaccines that help us understand how viral infections may contribute to autoimmune diseases. This work also brings new hope to individuals and families affected by these serious conditions. By uncovering the role of viruses in the earliest stages of disease, we move closer to future vaccines and antiviral therapies that can prevent disease onset,” Professor Hyöty notes.