There are few people better placed than Kate Bingham, Ilan Gur and Patrick Vallance ​discuss the role of science in tackling future health challenges. As chair of the UK Vaccine Taskforce, Bingham was responsible for making sure the Covid-19 vaccine was administered as fast as possible to as many people as possible, a task she recounts in The Long Shot. ​She has spent 30 years in biotech investing, which has resulted in the launch of eight drugs for the treatment of patients with inflammatory and autoimmune disease and cancer. Ilan Gur is CEO of ARIA, a research and development funding agency working to further the UK’s world-class research capacities and supporting transformative science to change the way we live. Vallance served as the government’s chief scientific adviser until April this year, and became a familiar and reassuring face to many during the Covid-19 lockdowns. ​Before this Patrick was president for research and development at GlaxoSmithKline a key experience that meant he saw the need to create the Vaccine Taskforce in 2020.