From mRNA vaccines to CAR T cell therapy, some of biopharma’s biggest breakthroughs happened when the industry said no to silos. Collaborations provide the opportunity for groups to combine knowledge, resources, technology, and talent to achieve biopharma innovation faster and beyond what they could achieve alone.
We know science flourishes under collaboration, so why is there a tendency to stay in our own corners?
Even when there’s willingness to work with others outside of our own organizations, complex and multifaceted barriers often get in the way. Structural challenges, long-standing beliefs and behaviors, and financial pressures create the perception that partnership is risky, preventing the progress we’re capable of achieving together.
After the Global Biopharma Index highlighted this ongoing issue, we asked Cytiva leaders for deeper insights into why collaboration is so hard to achieve in the current biopharma climate and ― more importantly ― how we can shift towards a culture that more readily embraces the power of teamwork.
Collaboration is a strategic lever biopharma isn’t pulling often enough
“Across biopharma and beyond, decades of data point to collaboration as a driver of innovation. Recent developments — such as Moderna and Merck’s combination of personalized cancer vaccine with Keytruda showing significant promise in high-risk melanoma patients — highlight how combining complementary capabilities can help advance novel therapeutics in today’s fast-evolving landscape. Yet according to the latest Global Biopharma Index, the collective strength that comes from working together is being left largely untapped. As biopharma seeks to bring scientific potential to life and transform human health, these findings serve as a call to action for leaders: it’s time to build an ecosystem where collaboration is multidisciplinary, incentivized, and championed from the top. This is the only way the industry can turn shared vision, ideas, capabilities, infrastructure, and risk into shared momentum and radical progress.”
— Beate Mueller-Tiemann, Chief Technology Officer
When IP takes priority over progress, patients pay the price
“We tend to assign disproportionate value to IP ownership while underestimating the hard work of turning science into something that matters for patients. IP that remains protected but inactive doesn’t reduce risk—it creates drag. Too often, we confuse siloing with stewardship. When you genuinely start from patient need and work backwards, the conclusion is fairly stark: progress at meaningful speed requires deep, trust-based collaboration across organizational boundaries. Not as an aspiration, but as a practical necessity if we want to deliver differentiated therapies on timelines that are relevant to healthcare systems and the patients they serve.”
— Sean Muthian, Chief Scientific Officer, Hardware Solutions
Clearing collaboration hurdles accelerates biopharma breakthroughs
“Managing IP and contracts while navigating geographic and political boundaries, language and cultural differences, and resource availability can make collaboration seemingly unattractive in the short term. But we’ve seen great value in overcoming these barriers, with some of our most important programs ― such as the development of the Sefia expansion platform for autologous cell therapy manufacturing ― benefitting tremendously from working closely with other leading organizations. Through collaboration, Cytiva has gained access to GMP insight, real-time design feedback, hard-to-find test materials, and funds to help drive innovation that might not have happened otherwise. This is why we remain committed to breaking industry silos to deliver healthcare innovation that changes the lives of patients in need.”
— Aaron Dulgar-Tulloch, VP, CTO - Genomic Medicine
If we want to drive real progress, we should stop reinventing the wheel
“Aseptic fill-finish won’t advance through isolated, bespoke solutions — it will advance when we stop duplicating effort and start coming together to drive progress. Innovation becomes safer, not riskier, when organizations share standards, learning, and responsibility. Sterility assurance is our duty to patients, and the next leap forward will come from a connected industry that treats collaboration as its strongest safeguard.”
— Aine Brennan, Senior Manager, Qualification & Regulatory Services - Aseptic Filling
When biopharma collaborations are built right, everybody wins
“Strong collaborations can be built by looking beyond the obvious benefits of funding and IP. Consider also the strategic advantages that can come from accessing capabilities outside of your organization: speed, exclusivity, shared incentives, or being first to market. I recommend starting a collaboration journey by developing a deep understanding of what you need to fill your own critical gaps, rather than simply chasing the latest bright, shiny objects. Once the right fit is clear, we've found flexibility to be a real accelerator, especially for large institutions working with smaller companies that move quickly and decisively. It's the teams willing to lean into clarity and agility that create win-win relationships and take biopharma innovation to the next level.”
— Amy Achter, VP, External Innovation Partnership Mergers