Moderna secured up to $54.3 million from CEPI to advance its mRNA H5 influenza vaccine candidate, mRNA‑1018, into Phase 3 testing. The funding restores external support after the company’s earlier federal BARDA contracts were canceled, and includes a commitment that, in a pandemic, Moderna would allocate 20% of production capacity for low‑ and middle‑income countries at affordable pricing. The CEPI grant arrives amid renewed concern about avian H5 outbreaks and a limited number of recent human cases. Moderna’s mRNA platform was cited as a rapid‑manufacture advantage for pandemic response, and the CEPI award signals continued international backing for mRNA pandemic preparedness despite domestic policy shifts. The pact will fund late‑stage development and underscores global stakeholders’ willingness to sustain mRNA vaccine pipelines even as some domestic contracts have been disrupted.