Boehringer Ingelheim will invest 11 billion euros in Research and Development in the next 5 years to accelerate the discovery of next generation medical breakthroughs

• 11 billion euro R&D programme through 2020, with 5 billion euro dedicated to pre-clinical R&D and 1.5 billion euro planned for cooperation with external partners

Dubai, UAE - 13th December 2015: Boehringer Ingelheim is launching a new research and development (R&D) strategy and a five-year R&D investment programme. This new plan was announced at its R&D press conference in Berlin. The company pledges to invest a total of 11 billion euros in its new R&D programme over the next five years. Of the total investment, 5 billion euros will go to preclinical R&D with 1.5 billion euro thereof planned for collaborations with external partners.  The company is aiming to develop the next generation of medical breakthroughs and maintain its excellent competitive position.  The new R&D strategy embraces open innovation in the form of external collaborations to better leverage emerging science and Boehringer Ingelheim’s experience and capabilities for the discovery of new medicines.

“With eleven new launches in 2014 and 2015, our R&D organization is an example of Boehringer Ingelheim’s outstanding capability in this field and is important for our region as we focus even more on diabetes and oncology,” said Professor Dr. Mohammad Meshref, Medical Director, Boehringer Ingelheim, META. “The new programme and strategy reflect our corporate philosophy of long-term, sustainable growth. They will enable us to continue our excellent track record of bringing therapeutic innovations with high value for patients to the market.”

A New R&D Strategy
A key element of the new strategy is an increased focus on collaborations with external partners, while maintaining strong internal R&D capabilities. This approach will enable the company to build on its long-term experience and strength in its core therapeutic areas while expanding its efforts to access the vast creative pool of global biomedical research through open innovation.

“Our new strategy embraces the trend towards more extensive open-innovation approaches between academia and industry in biomedical research. Our partners benefit by accessing our broad experience and capabilities and through establishment of long-term personal interactions with our R&D teams,” explained Dr. Michel Pairet, senior corporate vice president research and non-clinical development at Boehringer Ingelheim and designated Member of the Board of Managing Directors from January 2016 onwards. The new strategy will foster our external collaboration efforts by enabling us to be faster and more flexible. This is of essence for research beyond the borders of our current focus areas, where we explore emerging science, new indications and new technology to expand opportunities.”

The new R&D strategy is an important building block of Boehringer Ingelheim’s global strategy to be prepared for chances and challenges in the pharmaceutical market.