Bengaluru/Manipal, July 8: Manipal Academy of Higher Education , an Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, and Novo Nordisk Global Business Services have expanded their long-standing collaboration to strengthen India's capabilities in pharmacometrics, a specialised scientific discipline that applies data, modelling and simulation to support drug development and clinical decision-making.
Under the collaboration, Novo Nordisk GBS will provide financial support of ₹1.75 crore over five years to enhance specialised talent development, research capacity and advanced infrastructure in quantitative drug development. As drug discovery and development become increasingly data-driven, pharmacometrics has emerged as a critical discipline for optimising clinical trial design, understanding treatment responses across patient populations and enabling informed decisions throughout the drug development lifecycle.
A major component of the collaboration is the establishment of an advanced pharmacometrics computing facility at the Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Manipal. The facility will strengthen research, training and scientific collaboration in quantitative drug development while providing researchers with access to advanced computational resources.
The initiative will also support one full-time PhD scholar and one post-doctoral fellow every year, creating a sustainable talent pipeline in pharmacometrics and clinical pharmacy. In addition, MCOPS will introduce four to six specialised learning modules under the theme "Innovation for Quantitative Drug Development." The curriculum will include Model-Informed Drug Development, systems modelling approaches and translational frameworks for emerging therapeutic modalities, including cell and gene therapies and multi-specific therapies.
The collaboration will provide students and researchers with opportunities to work on real-world drug development challenges while strengthening India's contribution to global pharmaceutical innovation.
Speaking on the collaboration, John Dawber, Vice President and Managing Director, Novo Nordisk Global Business Services, said,
"India has become an increasingly important part of Novo Nordisk's global value creation engine, and our GBS in Bengaluru continues to play an extensive role across our value chain. Through this collaboration with MAHE, we aim to build the next layer of specialised capability in pharmacometrics and quantitative sciences, which is not only essential for India but also connects with our global teams and strengthens our support for R&D across Novo Nordisk. This collaboration brings together exceptional talent, strong academic partnerships and real business challenges so that the work undertaken here delivers meaningful value for our colleagues, the wider Novo Nordisk GBS ecosystem and, ultimately, patients around the world."
Highlighting the significance of the collaboration, Dr Sharath K. Rao, Vice Chancellor, MAHE, said,
"This collaboration marks an important milestone in advancing research and training in one of the fastest-growing areas of pharmaceutical sciences. By combining academic excellence with industry expertise, we will strengthen India's capabilities in pharmacometrics, create opportunities for cutting-edge research and prepare the next generation of scientists to contribute to global drug development."
Speaking on the importance of academic partnerships, Henrik Agersø, Senior Director, Pharmacometrics, Novo Nordisk Global R&D, said,
"I am delighted about this collaboration with MAHE, which reflects our shared commitment to advancing quantitative sciences and evidence-based drug development. As obesity research evolves beyond weight loss alone, understanding changes in body composition across therapies is becoming increasingly important. Through this initiative, we aim to develop a reproducible modelling framework based on published evidence, generating valuable scientific insights while strengthening capabilities in model-informed research."
Emphasising the academic impact of the initiative, Dr Srinivas Mutalik, Principal, MCOPS, and Dr Surulivel Rajan, Head, Department of Pharmacy Practice, MCOPS, jointly said,
"By integrating academic expertise with industry insights, this collaboration will provide students and researchers with specialised training, advanced computational resources and meaningful exposure to contemporary drug development approaches. It will strengthen our research ecosystem and prepare highly skilled professionals capable of addressing emerging challenges in quantitative drug development."
Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences , Manipal, a constituent unit of MAHE, one of India's leading institutions for pharmaceutical education and research, will implement the project. With more than six decades of academic excellence, the institution continues to advance innovative research in areas including nanotherapeutics, drug development, and artificial intelligence under the leadership of Dr Srinivas Mutalik, Principal and Professor, MCOPS.
The initiative is being implemented under NovoSPARC , Novo Nordisk GBS's academic collaboration framework that promotes research, innovation and talent development through partnerships with leading academic institutions. Through this expanded collaboration, MAHE and Novo Nordisk GBS aim to build a strong ecosystem for pharmacometrics research, accelerate innovation in quantitative drug development and contribute to improving healthcare outcomes globally.