Evolving Landscape: Accounts of Academic-Industrial Collaborations in Chemistry Technology

Academic-industrial collaborations in the pharmaceutical industry have led to advances in novel science and pipeline goals. These partnerships find success by leveraging the resources and expertise of the industrial sector with the creativity and depth of knowledge of academic researchers. Here, we discuss case studies of several past and present academic-industrial collaborations from a chemistry technology group and their evolution from operating under funding-driven models to more reciprocal exchanges of effort and information. Effective partnerships depend on the careful selection of the right collaborators and projects, and they require clear communication, alignment of interests, and patience throughout the phases of a collaboration. Research areas of high interest for academic collaborations are discussed, such as advancements in synthetic methodology and drug discovery platforms such as DNA-encoded libraries and PROTACS.