Fixing Biopharma’s Innovation Bottleneck Through Better Partnerships

Published: 18 Jun 2025

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Biopharma companies are investing billions in innovation, yet many report that partnerships, especially those outside the traditional R&D pipeline, are among their biggest pain points.

From patient advocacy groups to hospital systems, from data-sharing collaboratives to rare disease alliances, cross-sector partnerships are critical to advancing research. But without trust, alignment, and infrastructure, even the most promising collaborations stall.

As Deloitte’s 2023 Life Sciences Outlook notes:

“Innovation bottlenecks are less about science and more about system readiness and collaborative capacity.”¹

The problem isn’t a lack of ideas: it’s a lack of coordinated execution across organizational boundaries.

Why Biopharma Needs Cross-Sector Collaboration

Historically, biopharma companies have relied on internal discovery and academic licensing. But today’s challenges, such as trial diversity, real-world evidence collection, and community trust, require partners that can’t be found in a lab.

In rare disease research, this is especially true:

Patient advocacy organizations bring lived expertise and recruitment reach
Community health providers offer insight into trial accessibility and adherence
Regulatory agencies shape new pathways for decentralized or equity-centered design

As Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, former CEO of BIO, said:

“No one has all the tools to innovate alone. Real breakthroughs happen when we work together across science, policy, and community.”²

The Bottlenecks Holding Innovation Back

Based on research from Elevate Impact’s roundtables and consulting work, five recurring barriers emerge:

Bottleneck	Root Cause
Unclear Roles	Vague MOUs and informal expectations lead to redundancy or gaps
Cultural Mismatch	Different timelines, communication norms, or decision-making models between partners
Data Friction	Misaligned privacy standards or data governance slow down evidence sharing
Transactional Mindset	Short-term KPIs override long-term trust-building or joint value creation
Power Imbalance	Community partners or nonprofits treated as subcontractors, not co-creators

These barriers are not inevitable—they are symptoms of poor partnership design.

A Better Approach: Partnership Readiness

To overcome these bottlenecks, biopharma organizations must adopt partnership readiness models—tools and processes that support mutual clarity, power sharing, and long-term alignment.

Key principles include:

1. Joint Planning and Onboarding

Before project launch, partners should align on goals, success metrics, language, and communication cadence. This includes scenario planning for delays, scope changes, or equity concerns.

2. Co-Branded Credit and Value Sharing

Whether in research publications, patents, or public presentations, shared credit signals respect—and improves retention of community and academic collaborators.

3. Dedicated Collaboration Roles

Partnership managers (not just project managers) can bridge operational gaps, navigate conflict, and serve as boundary spanners across legal, R&D, and external relations.

4. Flexible Funding Mechanisms

Instead of rigid subcontracts, consider microgrants, pooled funds, or shared administrative hubs to support smaller partners (e.g., nonprofits, community sites) with agility.

Case Example: Roche’s Collaboration with the European Patients’ Academy

Roche partnered with EUPATI (European Patients’ Academy) to co-design trial protocols and educational resources with patients.⁴

Key outcomes included:

Streamlined recruitment in two rare disease trials
Improved patient adherence
Co-developed tools adopted by other research sponsors

“Patient partnerships changed how we think,” said a Roche executive in the 2021 evaluation report. “It’s not about inviting feedback—it’s about sharing decisions.”⁴

Elevate Impact’s Partnership Readiness Toolkit

We’ve developed a diagnostic tool and training model to assess and strengthen organizational readiness for collaboration. Key modules include:

Module	Outcome
Power Mapping	Identify influence dynamics and clarify roles and decision rights
Trust Baseline Assessment	Measure and track stakeholder confidence and perceived value
Equity-in-Partnership Audits	Ensure fair resourcing, communication, and recognition across partners
Joint Learning Loops	Build feedback and reflection into partnership lifecycles

This process helps organizations move from “working together” to working well together.

Conclusion

Biopharma’s greatest innovations won’t come from within its walls. They will come from the intersections; of science, systems, and society.

To unlock the full potential of cross-sector partnerships, leaders must go beyond contracts and convenings. They must build the infrastructure of trust, alignment, and shared accountability.

Because in the innovation economy, your next breakthrough may depend not on what you discover, but on who you’re willing to discover it with.

References:

Deloitte. (2023). Global Life Sciences Outlook: Resetting the Innovation Trajectory. https://www2.deloitte.com
McMurry-Heath, M. (2021). Keynote at BIO International Convention.
Elevate Impact. (2024). Cross-Sector Roundtable Summary: Barriers and Solutions for Rare Disease Partnerships. Internal Report.
Roche & EUPATI. (2021). Patient Partnership Evaluation Report. https://www.eupati.eu