Health Officials Announce New Effort to Develop Universal Vaccines Targeting Multiple Virus Strains

The platform is an alternative to the ‘wasteful Project NextGen,’ a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson says.

National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya (L) and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speak in Washington on April 22, 2025. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Federal health officials on May 1 announced a new effort to develop vaccines targeting a range of viruses, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Generation Gold Standard project will fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) development of “universal influenza and coronavirus vaccines” that “aim to provide broad-spectrum protection against multiple strains of pandemic-prone viruses,” including the avian influenza—commonly known as the bird flu—and SARS-CoV-2, or the virus that causes COVID-19, the NIH and its parent agency said in a statement.