5 years ago UK universities gave us a revolutionary Covid vaccine – let’s keep the legacy alive

Five years ago, the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine was first administered in a hospital in Oxford. It was a transformative moment in our response to the pandemic, demonstrating how a breakthrough at a British university was helping to change the world.

Since the first jab, over three billion doses have been made available for use in over 180 countries. In the first year alone, an estimated six million lives were saved. But this achievement was no accident.

Far from an overnight success, it was the product of decades of committed partnership between universities, the NHS and industry. Longstanding investment in infectious disease research allowed scientists to pivot existing technologies and skills rapidly to the new threat.

Breakthroughs that change lives take time, and realising their benefits depends on a long-term approach: stable and secure institutions, a strong pipeline of talent, and sustained core research funding.

The importance of university research became tangible to all of us in the form of the vaccine. It allowed us to start reclaiming everyday life, whether returning to work or reconnecting with loved ones.

But the contribution of university research in the pandemic extended far beyond medical science. Social science research played a vital role in shaping government decision-making. Academics worked closely with officials to answer questions about how to build trust, shape behaviour and communicate guidance.

The result was that the country could reopen and the economy could get moving again. The impact of universities is not limited to moments of crisis though. It continuously shapes our daily lives, often in ways we don’t appreciate.

This research doesn’t just sit on a shelf or live in an academic journal. It creates jobs and opportunities, turning ideas from a lab or a lecture theatre into new and improved businesses that address the wide-ranging needs of our country – whether they are in housing, transport or the NHS.

For every £1 of public funding entrusted to Russell Group universities, the country gets back over £8 in economic growth – in new jobs, higher productivity and better public services. Research also helps to advance knowledge, giving us a greater understanding of the world, our history and ourselves, helping us build resilience and adaptability as individuals, society and as a nation.

This is why the government has rightly placed research and innovation at the heart of its industrial strategy. Further announcements in the Spending Review and the Budget have committed investment to research in high-growth sectors like health, defence and new technology.

Yet, this positive direction risks being undermined by the wider pressures facing universities. Despite the government’s positive commitment to raising the tuition fee cap with inflation, a new levy, higher national insurance costs and cuts to teaching funding mean that the university sector is facing a net £2.5bn reduction in funding by 2027.

The reality of this financial pressure is that we are forced to make hard choices. As in any sector, long-term objectives give way to short-term pressures. In higher education, it is research capacity that is increasingly at risk.

Nowhere is this more visible than in health research, where clinical academics – essential to turning laboratory discoveries into better patient care – are finding their research time increasingly squeezed by workforce and financial pressures.

If we want to accelerate innovation, stimulate growth and improve public services in our country, we need to protect the institutions and staff that are translating groundbreaking discoveries into real-world impact.

Success in the year ahead will depend on three things. The first we have already been able to welcome from government: a long-term commitment for core research funding, providing foundational knowledge for future breakthroughs.

Second, we need policy coherence that strengthens UK universities and gives them a secure footing for the benefit of the country.

And third, we also need sustained support for the individuals who underpin discovery and innovation: protecting research time, supporting UK and international collaboration, and ensuring the UK remains attractive to the best talent from around the world while also building a strong pipeline of home-grown research talent for the future.

The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine showed what is possible when long-term choices deliver rapid and lasting benefits for the country, the economy and our everyday lives.

The breakthroughs of the future will depend on the choices we make today.

Dr Tim Bradshaw is CEO of the Russell Group of Universities