Another day, another research consortium – at least that's the way it sometimes feels early stage drug development is playing out. From Alzheimer's disease (AD) to Zika virus, the upswing in biopharma consortia is unmistakable. Although tangible results are sometimes hard to quantify, the consortium model appears to be gaining momentum because it delivers on its promise: enabling allies as well as erstwhile competitors to collaborate in an environment where the accrual and sharing of information advances a greater good.