Scientists sit poised at a singular moment in the history of vaccine research. Genomics and systems biology have fueled advances in our understanding of human immunology. Together with adjuvant development and structure-based design of immunogens, these next-generation technologies are transforming the field of vaccinology and shaping the future of medicine. However, the sophisticated science behind the development of modern vaccines and the resulting knotty ethical issues have become so complex that scientists and policy-makers need a new model for vaccine research. The European Commission-sponsored Advanced Immunization Technologies project--ADITEC--brings together some of the leading laboratories in the field to tackle the problems that no lab can tackle in isolation.