What Do Academic Investigators Want and Get from Preclinical Collaboration with the Pharmaceutical Industry?

Objective As research collaboration between academia and the pharmaceutical industry is important, we explored expectations and experience of investigators with preclinical collaborations. Methods Academic investigators from Western Europe, North America and Japan with preclinical publications in the obstructed airways or diabetes field were invited to anonymously participate in a web‐based survey. Results Results were similar in the obstructed airways and diabetes field (134 investigators total, 28% of invitees). Obtaining funding, freedom to publish and obtaining compounds were the most important goals, cultivating professional relationships, getting external scientific input, direct relationship to disease treatment and involvement with drug development were less important. Among eight characteristics of the primary contact person in the company, trustworthiness ranked highest, followed by collaborative spirit and transparent information sharing; supportiveness, scientific qualification, accessibility and timeliness of responses ranked lower, and friendliness lowest. Overall satisfaction in their latest collaborations was typically rated as very good. However, 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. Conclusions While generally satisfied in their preclinical collaboration with the pharmaceutical industry, academic investigators look for improved contracting procedures.