Biodiversity and biosecurity research helps to sustain a thriving environment, economy and society. But researchers and research programmes are often hindered by resourcing, institutional silos, and hypercompetition
One experimental approach to address these issues was New Zealand’s National Science Challenges (NSC). Using publications, reporting, and interviews from the Biological Heritage NSC, we identify key learning about building large-scale collaborative research programs for enduring societal and environmental benefit.