PARTNERSHIP AND INNOVATION IN THE LIFE SCIENCES - Innovation in the Biopharmaceutical Industry - page 109

PARTNERSHIP AND INNOVATION IN THE LIFE SCIENCES
DOMINIQUE KLEYN ∗ and RICHARD KITNEY †
Imperial College London, London, UK
∗ [e-mail]
† [e-mail]
RIFAT A. ATUN
Department of Centre for Health Management
Tanaka Business School, Imperial College London, London, UK
Government support for partnering between BioPharma companies and universities is grow-
ing in the UK and some European countries but few studies have explored these partnerships.
Through interviews and a survey of key institutions we explored perceptions of key infor-
mants on industry and university partnerships. Study participants identified that partnering
helped them to increase innovation in R&D and led them to adopt more open approaches
to innovation.
Organisational structures to coordinate and support partnerships; flexibility in operational
management to solve problems in establishing and running these partnerships; leadership,
especially by investigators to champion and lead collaborations; developing organisational
capabilities of universities; and creation of an enabling environment by governments were
identified as the critical success factors for partnering. The challenges faced were identified
as lack of funding for university research teams; pressure on pricing from industry part-
ners; disagreements on IP ownership; asymmetry of industry and university capabilities in
partnering; and lack of administrative support with excessive bureaucracy from universities.
Keywords : Industry and university partnerships; life sciences; pharmaceuticals and biotech-
nology; innovation management and open innovation; R&D collaborations; contracting out;
outsourcing.
Introduction
The BioPharma sector is underpinned by accumulation of knowledge and new
discoveries. To survive and maintain growth, companies must constantly invest
in research to develop products based on new technologies and processes — often