Management control of biomedical research and pharmaceutical innovation

This paper investigates management and organization factors which may enhance the effectiveness of biomedical research and pharmaceutical innovation. The study consists of 222 survey questionnaires returned by senior scientific staff of academic hospitals and large health research institutes in the Netherlands and the main R&D laboratories of innovative pharmaceutical companies in Europe, and 47 in-depth interviews with professors, institute directors and R&D directors. The results suggest that pharmaceutical companies are more positively engaged in consistent control than are academic research laboratories, with health research institutes taking up an intermediate position. It is concluded that a well-balanced combination of personnel, administrative and external control is needed to improve effectiveness in universities, institutes and companies alike. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.