At Swiss Biotech Day 2025, the energy surrounding AI transformation in life sciences was unmistakable. The panel titled "Driving R&D Innovation Using Evolving Technologies: Pragmatic Perspectives" offered a compelling lens into the industry's future—one that depends not only on innovation but on pragmatic execution.
The panel featured a diverse and accomplished group: Philippe Girard from Swissmedic, Ranjit Ravindran from Sandoz, Anne Marie de Jonge-Schuermans from the Swiss Biotech Association, Bernard Panes from PMI, and Dinesh Kasthuril from Wipro. Their discussion highlighted how technologies such as GenAI and agentic AI are redefining pharmaceutical R&D. A shared conviction emerged: while technology adoption is essential, success lies in deploying solutions through deliberate, incremental steps—each aligned with scientific purpose, regulatory standards, and measurable impact.
The Promise Meets Reality Check
The promise of emerging technology in life sciences has never been greater. AI models are now capable of identifying therapeutic targets, forecasting clinical trial outcomes, and drafting regulatory documentation. GenAI is helping create first drafts of safety reports, while agentic AI is beginning to handle tasks across decision-making cycles. According to IDC, nearly two-thirds of life sciences organizations plan to increase GenAI investment in 2025, with many looking beyond experimentation toward meaningful operational impact.
One key takeaway from the discussion stood out: innovation is only as effective as the data foundation supporting it. For leaders aiming to scale AI-driven transformation, investing in robust data infrastructure and governance isn’t just operational—it’s strategic. It marks the difference between isolated pilots and enterprise-wide impact.
The conversation repeatedly returned to a fundamental principle: start with high-impact, low-risk use cases—such as automating literature surveillance or signal detection in pharmacovigilance—then scale with clear, objective measures. This approach has consistently proven successful, particularly at Wipro, where innovation programs built on fit-for-purpose design and outcome orientation have delivered tangible results.
From Pilots to Platforms: The Scaling Challenge
There was broad agreement across the panel: scaling innovation requires deliberate, structured progress. Many organizations begin with focused pilots—generating drafts of scientific documents, automating decision support, or enabling virtual simulation. But scaling demands more than technical capability; it requires internal coordination, change management, and ongoing dialogue.
Philippe Girard’s perspective from Swissmedic was particularly striking: “We’re open to innovation, but we need to understand it early and clearly.” This collaborative approach reflects a broader trend observed across the industry—early regulatory engagement is not a hurdle, but a pathway to faster, safer implementation.
Success stories shared during the panel revealed a common thread: companies that involved regulators early—well before deployment—accelerated their approvals later. Girard’s statement encapsulates a recurring observation: regulators are not barriers to innovation—they are partners committed to enabling responsible advancement.
The Collaborative Imperative
Innovation in R&D is no longer a function-specific challenge. It requires alignment between clinical teams, data science groups, regulatory leaders, IT architects, and external partners. This calls for a rethinking of not only tools but also how organizations collaborate and share data.
The future of R&D depends on architectures that are scalable, compliant, and built to evolve. For example, decentralized clinical trials require seamless integration of eConsent, digital endpoints, and real-time analytics—each with its own compliance and privacy concerns. GenAI and agentic AI may offer immense potential, but their success will depend on how well they are integrated into the scientific and ethical fabric of the organization.
Looking Forward: Execution Over Ambition
Looking ahead, the organizations that will lead the next era of life sciences R&D are not those with the flashiest AI demos—but those that understand how to balance ambition with execution, and vision with validation.
Success in the coming years will belong to organizations that can turn vision into validated impact—balancing speed with compliance, and experimentation with enterprise strategy. Most importantly, those that treat innovation not as a side project, but as a connected, cross-functional capability embedded in the organization's DNA.
Wipro Life Sciences Solutions is among the companies helping lead this shift—partnering with clients to build pragmatic, purposeful, and powerful R&D innovation strategies. From a vantage point grounded in digital transformation and scientific operations, the message is clear: the time to innovate is now. But the path to impact must be paved with clarity, coordination, and compliance.
The conversations at Swiss Biotech Day reinforced a central conviction: transformation requires both vision and discipline. It’s not about having the most advanced technology—it’s about implementing it in ways that serve science, patients, and regulatory standards simultaneously.
Organizations ready to transform their R&D operations with pragmatic innovation are invited to explore how to navigate the balance between cutting-edge technology and regulatory reality.
