Europe’s Global Health Shield: How HERA Can Lead International R&D Amid Growing Geopolitical Vulnerability

Explore how HERA can strengthen global health R&D. Learn why the EU must move from project-based aid to capacity building in the GHRI era.

By: AXL Media

Published: Feb 26, 2026, 8:23 AM EST

Source: The information in this article was sourced from the paper "Driving innovation for global health security" by Petra Varkonyi and Hien Vu (2026).

A Landscape of Acute Vulnerability

The global health landscape in early 2026 is defined by a paradox: while the emergence of new health threats is accelerating due to climate change and conflict, the traditional financial anchors of global health are pulling back. With the US withdrawing from key multilateral commitments and major donors slashing development budgets, the burden of leadership has fallen increasingly on the European Union. However, internal pressures within the EU—specifically a pivot toward industrial competitiveness—risk turning the bloc’s gaze inward. Analysts warn that this "inward-looking" trend could crowd out the global health investments necessary to prevent the next pandemic before it starts.

HERA’s Strategic Opportunity

The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) was established to ensure the EU is ready for future health crises. While it has successfully forged bilateral and multi-stakeholder partnerships, its external mandate remains significantly underfunded. According to the analysis by Varkonyi and Vu, HERA’s current engagement with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is largely transactional and project-based. To achieve true global health security, HERA must transition toward a model that prioritizes long-term capacity building, ensuring that partners across the globe have the infrastructure to detect and respond to threats locally.

Leveraging the Global Health Resilience Initiative (GHRI)

The upcoming Global Health Resilience Initiative (GHRI) represents a critical crossroads for the Commission. By integrating HERA’s R&D footprint into the GHRI framework, the EU can create a more strategically coherent approach to pandemic preparedness. The paper proposes that the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) must be leveraged to provide HERA with a dedicated "external action" budget. This would move HERA beyond its role as a regional procurement hub and into its intended role as a global coordinator of medical countermeasure R&D.