How Novartis Approaches External Research Collaboration with Dr. Yogesh Sharma

How Novartis Approaches External Research Collaboration with Dr. Yogesh Sharma

From AUTM on the Air by AUTM

June 10, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

Dr. Yogesh Sharma discusses the complexities of university-industry partnerships and how Novartis approaches external research collaboration.

University-industry partnerships often sound straightforward from the outside. A promising discovery is made, a company sees potential, and a collaboration begins. But anyone who has worked inside these agreements knows the reality is far more complex. Research goals, publication timelines, IP rights, background technology, data sources, and internal review processes all have to be understood before a partnership can move forward in a productive way. My guest today is Dr. Yogesh Sharma, Global Head of External Research Collaboration at Novartis. In this role, he works at the intersection of academic research and corporate R&D, helping shape the structures that allow early-stage research collaborations to succeed. With deep experience in technology transfer, licensing, IP management, alliance governance, research agreements, and term sheet negotiations, Dr. Sharma brings a practical view of what it takes to build partnerships that protect innovation while still allowing science to move. We talk about how Novartis approaches external research collaboration, where alignment and friction often show up between universities and industry, and why relationships matter just as much as…

People in this episode

Guest: Dr. Yogesh Sharma

Topics covered

  • university-industry partnerships
  • external research collaboration
  • technology transfer
  • intellectual property
  • research agreements

Keywords

  • external research collaboration
  • university-industry partnerships
  • technology transfer
  • intellectual property
  • research agreements
  • AI
  • data-source diligence

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Novartis

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