The main purpose for the establishment of the hubs is to build capacity in the region for undertaking vaccine development research on a more sustained basis and within a permanent institutional framework through collaboration. Each hub brings together researchers from 5-6 universities working closely together while reaching across to the other hubs for collaborative research and capacity building.

The establishment of the Hubs follows the receipt of the first grant of $1 million from the Africa Regional Office of Open Society Foundations (OSF) towards setting up the eastern and western African hubs at Makerere University and the University of Ghana. This is to be used largely for the purchase of equipment for the two Centres that will coordinate their programmes.