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The fate of the global economy now depends on scientists, who are undertaking the swiftest vaccine-development effort in history. As teams of researchers collaborate across borders, regulators slash red tape, and financiers design “vaccine bonds”, scores of vaccine candidates are in the works. The first human trials began just two months after SARS-CoV-2’s genome was sequenced — a process that typically takes a decade — raising hopes that one may become available this year. But distributing such a vaccine fairly may prove as difficult as inventing one. How can rich countries ensure that poor ones also benefit? And could success provide a model for similar collaboration on threats like climate change?