Competitive information gathering and analysis in biotechnology

Corporate biotechnology feeds on information about science and business developments that are constantly changing and that are leveraged by all participants to achieve a competitive edge. Given the vast amounts of information involved, it is important for companies to have some systematic way to gather, filter and respond to information that is relevant to their development. This can be achieved by establishing either dedicated or virtual competitive intelligence systems, that deliver intelligence digests to decision makers within their companies. Other industries, such as the manufacturing and service industries, offer useful models of such systems that they use every day. These systems can be emulated by most biotechnology companies without undue strain to their limited resources.