Abstract In April 2024, the Royal Society convened a Science+ meeting in London on ‘Vaccines and antimicrobial resistance: from science to policy’. The purpose was to review the science of how vaccines reduce antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and discuss policy in advancing development and equitable deployment of such vaccines. The meeting adopted a One Health approach with international speakers presenting from both human and veterinary perspectives. Presentations on Day 1 focused on scientific aspects of the AMR threat and the role of vaccines as counter measures. On Day 2, presentations covered associated policy implications based on this scientific understanding. A closing panel discussion looked towards the United Nations High-Level Meeting on AMR in New York in September 2024. This article is the closing contribution to an issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B based on the meeting. It serves as a summary of the two days of proceedings, including key outcomes and recommendations, and provides an overall conclusion to the meeting. This article is part of the Royal Society Science+ meeting issue ‘Vaccines and antimicrobial resistance: from science to policy’.