The past decade has seen intensified research collaboration between pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions. Although such partnerships are recognized as a source of innovation and a key pillar to advance science in drug discovery, they are replete with challenges. Despite much anecdotal evidence and debate, fact-based evidence on the nature of these challenges and how to manage them is scarce. Here, we present results from a systematic analysis of quantitative and qualitative data from the portfolio of academic collaborations at a major pharmaceutical company, Novartis, which illuminate the challenges associated with industry–academia collaborations.
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