The Malaria Vaccine Initiative was created in 1999 to ensure that a malaria vaccine is developed. MVI was funded by a $50 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Initiative is administered by the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), a U.S. not-for-profit organization. MVI's mission is to accelerate the development of malaria vaccines and ensure their availability and accessibility to the developing world.

To accomplish the first part of its mission, MVI is identifying the most promising vaccines and technologies and implementing targeted partnerships with scientists, vaccinologists, and development projects. MVI works to link government, industry, and academia partners with field trial sites in malaria endemic countries as early as feasible in the development process.

To help ensure access to the eventual vaccine(s), MVI works with other vaccine programmes, such as (GAVI); academia, biotechnology firms and vaccine development partners, including GlaxoSmithKline Biological's, the world's largest vaccine manufacturer, who have been working on a malaria vaccine for over 20 years, to explore commercialization, procurement, and delivery strategies that will maximize public health sector availability in the countries most affected by malaria. Each project may support process development, production, and/or clinical trials in malaria-endemic regions. MVI is guided by Technical Advisory Groups, a Strategic Advisory Council and PATH's board. Partners include malaria experts around the world, government agencies, academia, public and private research institutions, and vaccine producers.

In October 2004, encouraging results from the largest paediatric safety and efficacy clinical trial of GSK's malaria vaccine in Africa were published in the medical journal The Lancet. GSK Biologicals and MVI co-sponsored the trial, which was approved by Mozambique's Ministry of Health. These findings represent a breakthrough in the science of malaria vaccines as it brings the world another step closer to a licensed vaccine. Due to the need for further studies, a licensed malaria vaccine is not expected to be available before 2010.