A memorable slogan by Apple urged the world to “Think Different.” The world might have asked, “Different how?” After all, “different” needn’t promote the greater good, or any narrower good, either. So, with the December issue of GEN, we say, “Think Collaborative.” More substantively, we celebrate collaborations of various kinds. First, we report on the successes of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) program. Formally, the program is winding down, but the partnership- and infrastructure-building efforts it has supported will continue, helping researchers in Africa contribute to and benefit from genome science. Second, we discuss how data management requires collaboration between IT specialists and scientists—not just to improve efficiency, but to enable selective sharing of sensitive data. Third, we present four Special Reports that explain how the pandemic has forced the vaccine industry to Think Different and Think Collaborative. These twin imperatives emerge elsewhere in this issue: epigenetic drugs, gene therapy biosafety, and more.