
The pandemic has showed the importance of scientific collaboration, but this is threatened by spending cuts
Image: Alex Kondratiev on Unsplash
The pandemic has taught us the importance of scientific collaboration. When the first reports of severe respiratory disease broke late in 2019, the international research community came together and within weeks we knew some basic biology. Rapid sharing of epidemiological data revealed the transmissibility of the virus was higher than influenza but less than measles. A genome sequenced in record time and made publicly available revealed the culprit to be a coronavirus. This allowed vaccine development to proceed at an astounding pace.
As we emerge from the pandemic, we will need scientific collaboration more than ever, to tackle global challenges, from climate change to health. Yet there are a number of hurdles to overcome…READ ON