R&D ExcellenceEleven Decisions

The AI Impact Guide for R&D Excellence Leaders.

Most R&D AI roadmaps fund the exciting use case first and the highest-leverage one last. This guide gives you the right order, a ranked, sourced priority sequence across Discovery and Clinical Development, with the dollar, time, and probability-of-success impact behind each.

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What's inside the guide.

Eleven questions. Two functions. One sourced sequence.

  1. 01Strategy: what should R&D AI actually optimise for?
  2. 02Sequencing: how should we sequence R&D AI investment?
  3. 03Discovery & preclinical: where should these teams start?
  4. 04Clinical development: where should these teams start?
  5. 05Data foundation: what does R&D AI require?
  6. 06Build, buy, partner: what goes where?
  7. 07Governance: how should it differ by risk tier?
  8. 08Operating model: centralised or federated?
  9. 09People: what happens as AI scales?
  10. 10Upskilling: how do we adopt without stalling?
  11. 11Compounding value: how do we know it's working?
Two sequencing lensesWhen to fund a use case, by lever and proof speed, and whether it has earned funding at all, by opportunity and capture readiness.
A ranked, sourced priority listSeparate final sequences for Discovery & Preclinical and Clinical Development, with speed, probability-of-success and cost impact cited to named research.
A 12-month agendaPlus the target R&D AI stack, one connected brain instead of ten point tools, with a role-by-role change plan.

$2.6 to 2.8B

Traditional drug development costs $2.6 to 2.8B and takes 10 to 15 years per approved drug, with failure rates exceeding 90%.

Industry drug-development research, 2026 · cited in the guide

More guides from The Decision Desk.

Seven guides, from the CEO agenda to the plant floor. Each is a ranked, sourced priority sequence, built on research from Bain, McKinsey, Deloitte, BCG, EY, ZS and MIT NANDA.

CPG NPD01The AI Impact Guide for NPD Excellence LeadersGet the guidePharma Manufacturing02The AI Impact Guide for Pharma Manufacturing LeadersGet the guideManufacturing Excellence03The AI Impact Guide for Manufacturing LeadersGet the guideR&D Excellence04The AI Impact Guide for R&D Excellence LeadersGet the guideCommercial Excellence05The AI Impact Guide for Commercial Excellence in Pharma & CPGGet the guideCDO / CAIO06From Data Platform to Pharma Decision InfrastructureGet the guideCEO07From AI Activity to Pharma AI AdvantageGet the guide
The Decision Desk · R&D Excellence Guide

R&D Excellence Guide for AI in Pharma.

Eleven questions. Two functions. One sourced sequence. Free, no spam, no sales pitch first.

Backed by peer-reviewed research and FDA guidance

The Decision Desk

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