While the response to the COVID-19 pandemic exposed many of the fault lines in the biomedical innovation ecosystem that have slowed progress for decades, it also illustrated we are capable of innovating in ways we perhaps did not think possible. FasterCures wants to ensure the lessons of this crisis are not lost—not only for combatting future infectious disease outbreaks but also for conducting every other aspect of biomedical research and development.

COVID-19 revealed in stark terms the price to be paid for the lack of a comprehensive community-based research system that can generate evidence to answer a broad range of critical research questions, whether in the context of sponsor-driven product development trials, comparative effectiveness studies, or a fast-moving public health emergency. FasterCures aims to identify actions needed by key stakeholders to realize the potential of community-based research infrastructure and build a coordinated ecosystem of excellence to address future public health emergencies and prevalent health problems equitably.