Basic and applied research collaboration trends in the pharmaceutical industry

Firms in science-driven industries have traditionally devoted significant resources to basic scientific research. The intensity and outcomes of such investments, however, have changed over time. In this paper, we explore the trends in pharmaceutical companies' scientific research over a two-decade period between 1990 and 2009. The results of our analyses reveal that the scientific output of large pharmaceutical companies as measured by the publications of company scientists has significantly increased over time. We also find that company scientists' collaboration with external scientists has increased over time and across the board regardless of company size. Finally, we observe a decline in research and development alliance activities of pharmaceutical companies with the effect being weaker for large firms.