Competition has always been part of science and can have positive effects. However, hyper-competition for the resources and positions needed to conduct science suppresses the creativity, cooperation, risk-taking, and original thinking required to make discoveries.  If funders took a different approach, prioritizing collaborative behavior such as data sharing and open access publications, would science move faster? COVID-19 showed the world what's possible when scientists collaborate: Accelerated vaccine development, lives saved, and a hope that real system change in medical research is within reach. The speakers in this session will tell a story of cooperation and collaboration. They will show how lessons learned from COVID-19 can be applied to create better research systems.