As the trend towards mergers, alliances and takeovers in the pharmaceu
tical industry grows, monitoring the performance of outsourced program
mes is increasingly under the spotlight. For a small company, manageme
nt of partnership programmes is a key contributor to business success.
This article outlines some of the chief parameters and milestones for
small companies, which are crucial to maintenance of the effective re
search alliances that are the life-blood of their business.