How our Transactions and Alliance Management teams are helping build successful partnerships.

From product ideation and early research to development and distribution, Boehringer Ingelheim strongly believes in the importance of external partnerships for building a successful pipeline of next-generation breakthroughs in animal health. Our global innovation network is supported by many external collaborations that complement our internal R&D skills and expertise. These collaborations are rooted in scientific excellence, a shared passion to address unmet needs in animal health, and mutual respect for each other’s opinions, goals and corporate culture. 

A framework for success

Cultivating these relationships to deliver shared success is the role of our Transactions and Alliance Management teams, an integral part of the Business Development & Licensing function. Joanna Krawczyk has been at the helm of Alliance Management for Animal Health since 2021. “You can only have a successful collaboration if you understand your partner and your partner understands you,” she says. “Our team facilitates that by providing a framework – a space where we can get to know each other and develop a strong, long-term relationship.”

Trust is built over time and is the most important factor in a successful partnership. As a leading independent, global pharmaceutical company, Boehringer has a long track record of building successful partnerships. We have been transforming the lives of people and animals, together with our partners, for more than a century, and our Transactions and Alliance Management teams are responsible for ensuring the health and success of these collaborations. 

The role of the Alliance Manager is to ensure that the partner’s needs and perspectives are always a priority, whether it is a small start-up or a larger, well-established company, each with its own unique corporate culture. “We may work for Boehringer Ingelheim, but our role is to see both partners' perspectives,’ says Krawcyzk.

Partnership mindset

This willingness to walk in the partner’s shoes is what Udo Ehlers, Director of Alliance Management for Animal Health, refers to as a partnership mindset. “You might say our role is that of a conductor,” he says. “We orchestrate the relationship between the partner and our own stakeholders, taking the time to really get to know the partner, and then advising our own team on the approach that’s going to work for both parties. We help build that bridge”. 

To this end, joint team and steering committee meetings are critical. These meetings facilitate interactions and provide regular opportunities to discuss progress and priority shifts. 

Communicating with candor 

Rachael Widener, Director of Alliance Management Animal Health, has sat on both sides of the collaboration table, having previously worked at a university where she helped faculty secure partnerships with companies interested in developing their innovations. “Aligned communication around goals is especially important,” she says. “Both partners come into the relationship with their own set of aspirations and ideas of what success looks like. Communicating openly helps ensure we’re on common ground.”

“We also need to be mindful that we’re speaking the same ‘cultural’ language,” adds Florence Reynaud, Senior Director of Alliance Management for Animal Health. “We want to make sure the terms we’re using are interpreted in the same way by our partners to avoid misunderstandings,” she explains. “Our partners appreciate this level of consideration. Trust has to be earned, and this deeper attention to detail is one of the ways we earn it.”

A culture of collaboration with the University of Georgia

Widener attributes our decades-long alliance with the University of Georgia to this same culture of collaboration. “What we really strive for is a win-win for both parties,” she says, “When you have a long-standing history and connection with a partner, you have individuals who have this institutional memory about what we’ve done in the past that allows both partners to imagine what’s possible in the future. It’s quite special.” 

A long-term approach

Boehringer’s science-centric approach to collaboration is highly attractive to partners. “We’re not looking for incremental innovation. We’re looking for breakthrough innovation,” explains Christoph Vetten, Head of Transactions, Animal Health. “Not every pharma company is interested in early science that might take 10 years to see the light of day” he explains, “But we’re in it for the long haul”. A point that’s echoed by Montange. “We expect to have long relationships where we have time to really understand the partner. “We’re not just here to make a deal. We can bring so much more.”

The collegial aspect of science is also important explains Vetten: "There's this element of really wanting to understand the data, on a scientist-to-scientist basis, that's appealing to partners".

All these were important factors when we established a dedicated Alliance Management function – providing the support external partners need to get the most out of the collaboration. Says Widener, “having someone on board that has a clear overview of how each party is working towards the same common goal really improves the efficiency of how we work with our partners.”

With around 30% of our pipeline and eight of our top ten-selling brands anchored in external innovation, we know just how important collaborations are to achieving our innovation goals. “Our ability to bring products to market through successful collaborations is not up for question,” says Krawczyk. “It’s what we do best, and I’d encourage any team, regardless of size, to contact us if they think a partnership could be mutually beneficial. Our door is always open.”