Expectations and satisfaction of academic investigators in nonclinical collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry

In light of a growing role of research collaborations between academia and the pharmaceutical industry, we have explored expectations and experience of academic investigators with preclinical collaborations. Researchers from Western Europe, North America, and Japan with preclinical publications in the obstructed airways or diabetes fields were invited to anonymously participate in a web-based survey. A total of 134 investigators (28 % of invitees) participated in the two sequentially performed surveys with similar responses in both therapeutic areas. A secondary but prespecified subgroup analysis was based on region of residence, gender, and career level of the investigator. Across all groups, responders considered freedom to publish, obtaining funding and obtaining compounds to be the most important objectives of nonclinical collaborations with the pharmaceutical industry, whereas cultivating professional relationships, getting external scientific input, direct relationship to disease treatment, and involvement with drug development were less important. Among eight attributes of the primary contact person in the company, trustworthiness ranked highest, followed by a collaborative spirit and transparent information sharing; supportiveness, scientific qualification, accessibility, and timeliness of responses ranked lower, and friendliness, lowest. Related to their most recent collaboration, investigators also expressed the highest level of satisfaction with the trustworthiness attribute. On the other hand, the process of reaching a contract was often considered too long and difficult, for which both university and company legal departments were reported as culprits. We conclude that academic researchers are generally satisfied with their preclinical collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry but look for improved contracting procedures.