Where do you begin?
Vaccine manufacturing is a perfect example. Many emerging economies fall into the same trap:
“Let’s build everything. Let’s adopt every platform.”
But this approach is like trying to construct the fifth floor of a building before laying its foundation—expensive, risky, and ultimately unsustainable.
While the global vaccine market is growing rapidly, the supply chain remains fragile. A small number of producers still control most of the world’s vaccine supply. After the pandemic, one reality became impossible to ignore: national vaccine capacity is no longer optional; it is a strategic necessity.
No Building Stands Without a Foundation
Think of vaccine production as a building. Every impressive structure relies on one critical element: the foundation. Walls, windows, and floors only matter if what lies beneath them is strong.
And in vaccine manufacturing, the foundation has a single name:
People.
Skilled bioprocess teams, professionals fluent in GMP culture, analytical scientists, cell-line and seed-lot experts—these are the real pillars of sustainable capacity. Without them, no technology platform—whether recombinant, vector-based, or mRNA—can stand on its own.
And just like a foundation, this expertise cannot be built once and forgotten. It must be continuously strengthened, updated, and renewed. Technology evolves, regulatory standards tighten, pathogens shift. A country that does not invest in its people will eventually see cracks form—long before it reaches advanced platforms.
This is why the winning strategy is a layered, staged capacity-building model:
First the foundation (human capability and quality culture),
then the quick-gain layers (fill–finish, formulation, analytics),
followed by process-development capabilities,
and finally advanced technology platforms.
Every country that succeeded in vaccine manufacturing followed this sequence—one floor at a time.
No Country Can Do Everything — But Every Country Can Do the Right Things
The real question for emerging economies is no longer:
“Should we produce vaccines?”
It is:
“Which platforms, in what sequence, and with which partnership model?”
The technology menu is wide, but resources are finite. A broad but shallow portfolio rarely creates sustainable value. A focused, deeply developed capacity—built step by step—does.
With the right sequencing, the right capabilities, and the right partners, emerging economies can position themselves as regional production hubs. Brazil, South Africa, India, Indonesia, and others have already demonstrated the potential of this pathway:
strong foundations → practical manufacturing capability → advanced platforms.
Countries like Türkiye—with a strong scientific base, a growing biotech ecosystem, and a strategic regional position—have a unique opportunity to follow a similar trajectory.
Conclusion
National vaccine capacity is not built overnight.
It is a long-term journey where every step enables the next, and where success is impossible without strong human capital at the center.
What emerging economies need is not every platform, but the right foundations, selective investments, and sustainable capabilities.
If the building is constructed correctly, each additional floor becomes another step toward technological leadership—and a more resilient future.
Footnote
This article is an editorial summary of a presentation delivered by Dr. Emin Turan at the TÜSEB Meeting on November 24, 2025.
Readers who wish to receive the full slide deck may email info@advizeum.com with their name and phone number to request the PDF version.
