Beyond Biotech - the podcast from Labiotech How Eli Lilly's biotech collaboration model is rewriting early-stage innovation
Today, we're joined by Thomas Hopkins, Vice President and Head of ExploR&D at Eli Lilly. With a background as a physician-scientist in oncology, Thomas has spent his career bridging bold discovery science with rigorous development, first in academia and clinical practice, then at Lilly since 2015.
Lilly ExploR&D represents new thinking in the pharma-biotech collaboration model: a shared-risk, deep scientific partnership designed specifically for early-stage biotechs. It provides full-stack R&D capabilities helping companies overcome the toughest hurdles in moving from molecule creation to clinical proof-of-concept, all while staying lean in a challenging funding environment.
In this episode, Thomas dives into his journey shaping ExploR&D, how the program works in practice, current priorities in modalities and therapeutic areas, and offers some practical advice for biotechs seeking to partner with Eli Lilly.
01:30 — Meet Tom Hopkins
05:11 — What makes ExploR&D biotech-friendly
07:46 — How collaborations work in practice
09:40 — Shared risk models
14:25 — Engaging bold science early
28:16 — Success stories and advice for biotechs
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