“This will help ensure that only relevant R&D is conducted,” Brian Burlinson, principal scientist for safety assessment at Envigo, told Outsourcing-Pharma.com.
The advisory group will include 6 to 8 representatives from across the company. After the first three years, members will rotate on a 2-year cycle.
The group will harness the scientific expertise within the company and align it with customer needs for “new technologies that advance R&D.”
STAG will also guide external relationships with academic, government and other institutions involved in non-clinical R&D.
“Envigo has maintained relationships with several such institutions over time but has never formalized them under the direction of a group like STAG,” explained Burlinson. “We believe doing so will improve existing relationships and help form new ones that will be beneficial to the industries we serve collaboratively.”
Building on scientific knowledge
Burlinson said the company hopes to build on Envigo’s reputation of scientific excellence.
“Envigo has great scientists and we want them to be able to use their knowledge and experience in developing new methods or technologies that will help our clients develop safe and effective products,” he added.
Burlinson also said that Envigo wants to create an environment in which its scientists “can develop their ideas and give them scope to work independently but with a clear focus on what is important to the company.”
“This will be helped by STAG acting as a funding body which will ‘pay’ for the appropriate R&D,” he added.
The next steps will be creating a clear funding application. “We also want sponsors to come forward with potential projects for cooperative development,” said Burlinson.