Managing virtual R&D organisations: lessons from the pharmaceutical industry

Authors:
  • VCVittorio Chiesa
    Vittorio Chiesa
  • RMRaffaella Manzini
    Raffaella Manzini
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Abstract
In this paper, the virtual organisation of R&D in Pharmaceuticals is studied. A virtual organisation in Research and Development is designed to access external knowledge and resources, necessary for generating and developing successful innovations. A survey has been conducted on nine pharmaceutical companies (from the USA, Europe and Japan), aimed to investigate the characteristics of Research and Development collaborations. It is argued that dramatically different criteria are needed for creating and managing the virtual organisation of Research activities and of Development activities. This is recognised as a key issue to ensure that a scientific and technological collaboration is successful.