The next wave of growth will belong not to the fastest manufacturers but to the most innovative problem-solvers

The discussion highlights the role of translational research, aligned industry–academia frameworks, continuous upskilling, digital and regulatory capability, and sustained private investment in shifting India from volume-led manufacturing to a value-led innovation ecosystem, reports Neha Aathavale

Industry must provide real-world problem statements to align academic research with market needs

The biggest gap between academic research and industry application lies in the lack of strong translational capability. While universities excel in cutting-edge research, there is a significant shortfall in the resources and guidance needed to move innovations from the bench to the bedside.

One effective solution is to establish dedicated nodal centres that provide end-to-end support, including technical expertise, scaling capabilities, regulatory navigation and access to specialised infrastructure that individual institutions may not be able to afford. These centres could operate as shared national or regional resources, making advanced capabilities more accessible and cost-effective. To make these centres successful, academia, government bodies, and industry must collaborate to build platforms that offer both strategic direction and handson execution support. Involving senior industry experts as core contributors would ensure that research aligns with real-world needs and market pathways.

At the academic level, students should be taught the fundamentals of intellectual property, technology transfer, and legal frameworks, so they understand how to translate their ideas into impactful, patentable innovations. Lack of awareness in these areas often discourages young researchers from pursuing high-stakes development projects. Equipping them with this knowledge can empower them to think creatively and ambitiously. Career advancement should be tied not only to research papers but also to patents filed, prototypes developed and industry collaborations. Institutions can also share revenue from patent commercialisation and licensed technologies with faculty and students, motivating them to pursue further research.

Industry can contribute by providing real-world problem statements, funding infrastructure, and mentorship to align academic research with market needs. By offering collaboration, internships, and support for commercialisation, companies can help accelerate the journey from lab innovation to practical, scalable products.

Fostering interdisciplinary teams can promote cross-pollination of ideas, resulting in more robust and market-ready solutions. This integrated approach can significantly accelerate the journey of innovation from the lab to the market.

 

India must move from a volume-led trajectory to a value-led innovation arc

India’s pharmaceutical sector has long been admired for its manufacturing strength and its ANDA approvals. But the landscape ahead demands more than past achievements. Global price pressures, declining new chemical entities and the rising burden of chronic and age-related diseases are redefining what it takes to stay competitive. The next wave of growth will belong not to the fastest manufacturers but to the most innovative problem-solvers.

This is where India has a compelling opportunity. By deepening its FR&D capabilities, the country can move from a “volume-led” trajectory to a “value-led” innovation arc. As regulatory expectations tighten and innovation cycles accelerate, the true differentiator will be a workforce that is agile, interdisciplinary, digitally fluent and future-ready.

Strategies to build and continuously upskill the FR&D workforce

A transformative leap will require a deliberate and sustained talent strategy:
1. Establish competency academies for future skills: Companies can institutionalise advanced academies dedicated to formulation sciences, analytical innovation, regulatory sciences, nano-formulations, targeted delivery, biosimilars and long-acting injectables. Blending rigorous classroom learning with real laboratory immersion can accelerate practical mastery.
2. Build industry – Academia research clusters: Collaborative R&D clusters can align academic curricula with real-world formulation challenges. Early exposure to quality frameworks, regulatory pathways and translational science prepares young researchers to work with global expectations.
3. Embed digital and AI fluency across roles: AI/ML-driven formulation prediction, data modelling, automation and digital quality systems are rapidly transforming FR&D. Integrating these tools into training ensures scientists are equipped to innovate in increasingly technology-augmented environments.
4. Create rotational & cross functional career pathways: Exposure to manufacturing science, clinical development, intellectual property and regulatory affairs cultivates holistic problem-solving.
These rotational programs help build scientific leaders who understand the full value chain and can drive end-to-end innovation. A workforce nurtured on continuous learning, interdisciplinary thinking and digital competence will form the bedrock of India’s evolution into a global FR&D innovation hub. The rise of CRDMOs and CDMOs, combined with regulatory agility, innovation financing and talent development highlights the urgent need to elevate India’s knowledge capital. 

A recurring insight across industry dialogue is that “partnerships follow predictability.” Strengthening intellectual property protection, ensuring regulatory clarity and fostering trust in early-phase research environments will be essential to attract high-value innovation work. India stands at a promising inflection point. By committing to capability-building and scientific excellence, the industry can help create a world-class R&D ecosystem, one that not only keeps pace with global formulation needs but helps shape the future of healthcare innovation.

A future-ready FR&D workforce is essential for India’s pharma sector to evolve beyond cost leadership

India’s pharmaceutical sector is globally recognised for its manufacturing capabilities and supply of affordable generics. However, to sustain global competitiveness and transition into an innovation-driven ecosystem, the industry must strengthen its Formulation Research & Development (FR&D) capabilities — with workforce development as a key pillar. To build and continuously upskill a workforce that can keep pace with evolving formulation research needs, industry can adopt the following strategies:

1. Establish industry-academia collaborations-

• Joint centres of excellence: Create integrated research hubs in partnership with leading academic institutions to foster innovation and hands-on training.
• Curriculum alignment: Work with universities to align pharmaceutical science curricula with current and emerging industry needs, including advanced formulation technologies and regulatory science.

2. Invest in continuous learning and upskilling-

• Modular training programs: Offer short-term certifications and micro-credentials in areas like complex generics, novel drug delivery systems, and QbD (Quality by Design).
• Digital learning platforms: Leverage e-learning, AR/VR simulations, and AI-driven personalised learning to make training scalable and engaging. Use AI-driven personalised learning platforms to assess skill gaps and recommend targeted learning paths.
• Mentorship and knowledge transfer: Encourage senior scientists to mentor junior staff, ensuring tacit knowledge is passed on effectively

3. Build specialised talent pipelines-

• Talent incubation programs: Identify and nurture high-potential candidates through internships, fellowships, and rotational R&D programs.
• Global exposure: Facilitate international collaborations and exchange programs to expose Indian researchers to global best practices and regulatory expectations.

4. Foster a culture of innovation-
   ● Intrapreneurship initiatives: Encourage employees to propose and lead formulation innovation projects within the organisation.

• Recognition and incentives: Reward scientific contributions, patent filings, and successful product development to motivate continuous learning and innovation. 

5. Use cross-functional learning-

• Promote interdisciplinary collaboration (e.g., chemists working with data scientists or engineers) to build holistic skillsets.
  ● Rotate staff across departments or projects to expose them to a wider range of formulation challenges.

6. Enhance regulatory and compliance readiness-

• Set up regulatory intelligence teams to monitor global standards. ● Conduct mock audits and workshops to ensure audit preparedness.

7. Leverage public-private partnerships-

• Collaborate with government skill development missions (e.g., Skill India) 
• Making use of government schemes like BIRAC and Promotion of Research and Innovation in Pharma-MedTech sector (PRIP) 
• Utilise shared infrastructure for hands-on training in advanced formulation techniques.

8. Monitor and adapt to emerging trends-

• Regularly assess skill needs based on technology trends (e.g., AI in formulation, sustainable materials). 
• Use workforce planning tools to forecast future competencies and address gaps proactively. 

9. Adopt agile workforce models 

• Use contract researchers, consultants, or academic collaborations to supplement in-house expertise as needed. 
• Build flexible teams that can be rapidly upskilled or reconfigured in response to project demands. 

10. Bridging the funding gap 

• India’s R&D spending is only 0.65 per cent of GDP, with just 36.4 per cent coming from the private sector—far below global leaders like the US (3.5 per cent) and Israel (5.4 per cent). Sustained private investment can fill this gap, especially in industrial R&D.

Conclusion 

A future-ready FR&D workforce is essential for India’s pharma sector to evolve beyond cost leadership. By investing in integrated learning ecosystems, regulatory alignment, and innovation culture, the industry can position itself as a trusted global source of high-quality, competitive formulation.

India must reward translational focus differently to accelerate pharma innovation

Bridging academia and industry: Accelerating innovation in India’s pharma R&D

India’s pharmaceutical sector is globally recognised for manufacturing strength and affordability. To evolve into an innovation powerhouse, we must tighten the bridge between academic research and industry needs—especially the mismatch of pace/speed of development, key responsibility areas (KRAs), key performance indicators (KPIs). Industry scientists work to time-bound deliverables and market continuity, while academic teams pursue longer-horizon, curiosity-driven goals. Their primary responsibility (KRA) remains delivery of skilled manpower to industry and KPIs are often focused on numbers of research publications, PhD supervised, grants etc. Not that these are not relevant indicators but this divergence surely slows translation from lab to market.

Policy momentum by the government is definitely encouraging: the PRIP scheme funds industry–academia collaborations from ideation to commercialisation and backs CoEs at NIPERs, while the ANRF provides strategic direction for national research; PLI programs further incentivise complex products and biosimilars. Yet impact will depend on rewarding translational focus differently—grant architectures must provide autonomy in fund use with transparent accountability to prevent misuse.

Following structural reforms can close the gap:  

1. a) Lab incubators inside universities, organised like Section 8 companies, to build self sustaining funds and nurture startups. 
2. b) Tech transfer offices with business-development teams fluent in market dynamics and translational value. 
3. c) Internships not only for students but also for faculty, immersing professors in industrial workflows and regulatory expectations. 
4. d) Joint KRAs, KPIs for translation or high-impact innovation and shared infrastructure to align timelines across academia/Industry partners. 
5. e) Challenge complacency in permanent academic posts, linking progression to measurable innovation outcomes critically reviewed by global panels to ensure competitiveness. 
6. f) Curriculum reform and regulatory science training. India’s digital health backbone (ABHA, eSanjeevani) can enable adaptive trials and real world evidence for formulations. 

These are the levers, I believe, to close skill and translation gaps. If India implements bold structural reforms with autonomy and accountability in academia, industry/venture funds shall pour in capital and partnerships will be sustained. It can move from being the ‘pharmacy of the world’ to the world’s formulation innovation hub.