To face the global health challenges, collaboration between stakeholders from industry, academia, governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), regulators and patients’ organizations is essential. The success of multi-stakeholder collaborations, often based on public-private partnerships (PPP) models, to fight poverty-related and neglected (tropical) diseases (PRNDs), such as Malaria, HIV/AIDS, Leishmaniasis and Tuberculosis (TB), has spurred the pharmaceutical sector to apply the PPP-model more broadly and also collaborate to solve complex technological challenges associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Public and private actors are leveraging capital, resources and knowledge to develop innovative solutions to health challenges.

Interdisciplinary, translational and innovative research and development (R&D) is realized in PPPs by combining different ideas, skills, and expertise in technologically demanding areas. In addition, sharing knowledge with competitors at the precompetitive—and even at a competitive—stage is increasingly considered to be both relevant and viable. A shared objective is to translate basic biological research into therapies serving patients. Regardless of the difference in short-term expectations the different stakeholders may have, essential elements for successful R&D PPPs are trust and a shared view on the PPP’s mission and long-term outcome.

This Research Topic provides an overview of the successes and challenges of healthcare R&D PPPs in terms of governance, mission statement, accountability, IP management, funding models and incentive structures in PPPs focused on PRNDs and those focused on NCDs. Potential articles will outline established public-private collaborations and describe the lessons learned, and most importantly, what the collaboration brings to the patient community. Authors may be researchers, governmental and policy officials, representatives of patients’ organizations and regulators involved in public-private collaborations.

Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.