This Correspondence has been endorsed by 44 leading scientific and societal organisations wordwide (appendix pp 1–2). LJB has regular interaction with pharmaceutical and other industrial partners, but has not received personal fees or other personal benefits; and is a board member of three non-profit foundations (ReSViNET, INFECT-NL, and Vrienden UMC Utrecht). LJB also reports that University Medical Centre Utrecht has received major funding (>€100 000 per industrial partner) for investigator initiated studies from AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Janssen, Pfizer, Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD), and MeMed Diagnostics; has received major funding from The Gates Foundation; has received major funding as part of the public—private partnership IMI-funded RESCEU and PROMISE projects with partners GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Novavax, Janssen, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, and Sanofi; has received major funding from Julius Clinical for participating in clinical studies sponsored by AstraZeneca, Merck, and Pfizer; and has received minor funding (€1000–25 000 per industrial partner) for consultation, data safety monitoring board membership, or invited lectures from Ablynx, Bavaria Nordic, GSK, Novavax, Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, MSD, Sanofi, and Janssen. CP reports grants from the Gates Foundation; and participation on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for WHO and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. FM-T reports grants or contracts from Sanofi–AstraZeneca, GSK, and Pfizer; consulting fees from GSK, Pfizer, Sanofi Pasteur, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, MSD, CSL Seqirus, Biofabri, and AstraZeneca; support for attending meetings or travel from Pfizer, MSD, GSK, and Sanofi; is a member of ETAGE – WHO Europe, coordinator of the Spanish Pediatric Critical Trials Network, and coordinator of WHO Collaborating Centre for Vaccine Safety of Santiago de Compostela; and is Principal investigator in randomised controlled trials of Ablynx, Abbot, Seqirus, Sanofi Pasteur MSD, Sanofi Pasteur, Cubist, Wyeth, Merck, Pfizer, Roche, Regeneron, Jansen, Medimmune, Novavax, Novartis, and GSK, with honoraria paid to his institution. HJZ reports grants or contracts from Pfizer, MSD, and Sanofi; payment or honoraria for lectures, presentations, speakers bureaus, manuscript writing, or educational events from Pfizer; participation on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board for Moderna and Sanofi; and was past chair for the WHO Technical Advisory Group on new RSV preventive interventions. MJG reports grants and support for attending meetings from the Gates Foundation. SAM reports grants or contracts from the Gates Foundation, GSK, Pfizer, Minervax, Merck, Providence, and Gritstone; honoraria for lectures from GSK; and participation on a data safety monitoring board or advisory board from PATH, CAPRISA, and Bavarian Nordic. All other authors declare no competing interests.