Background: Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) and contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) are major infectious diseases of ruminants caused by mycoplasmas in Africa and Asia. Beyond their obvious impact on animal health, CBPP and CCPP negatively impact the livelihood and well being of a substantial proportion of livestock-dependent people affecting their culture, economy, trade and nutrition. The current vaccines used for disease control consist of a live attenuated CBPP vaccine and a bacter in vaccine for CCPP, which were developed in the 1960s and 1980s, respectively. Both of these vaccines have limitations, so better vaccines are urgently needed to improve control of these diseases. Methods: The research community met in 2018 for a workshop entitled 'Contagious bovine and caprine pleuropneumonia, an update on the current knowledge base', in Bern Switzerland. The exchange of information resulted in a number of prioritized biomedical research needs related to challenge models, vaccine target discovery and immune responses. Results: The outcome of this event highlighted the research gaps that will need to be overcome to develop safer and more effective vaccines for progressive disease control. This does not cover vaccine delivery, although we acknowledge that vaccine delivery is an important component of vaccine campaigns, especially in animals with a relatively low asset value. Conclusion: After rigorous scientific discussions, our suggested priority actions have been listed and should provide a frame for concerted action and funding. We believe these approaches will guide development of better vaccines that can be used as tools in the control of these two important pathogens.