“Every man has his own vocation, talent is the call.”
─Ralph Waldo Emerson

The mission of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) is founded on an unparalleled excellence in pharmaceutical science. Our “culture of science” is not, however, an abstract notion: It is only realized if we have excellent scientists, “the best and the brightest” in common parlance. Our challenge is to acquire, support, and retain this kind of talent. It is the fundamental task of Human Resources to provide the “call” to which such talent responds.
 

Acquiring talent
By all accounts we have been very successful so far. It certainly helps that we are building on a large base of scientific superiority that already exists at our established global research sites. But beyond that, NIBR is able to bring the best of both the industrial and academic worlds to bear on science in the service of medical need. Most of our scientists, both new hires and established Novartis researchers, respond to the call of making a difference in addressing human disease. This lure is, by far, our most effective recruiting tool.
 

Supporting talent
As the research division of a large pharmaceutical company, NIBR has the resources to pursue innovative projects and the freedom to inquire widely in areas that may be too risky for smaller research endeavors. In addition, the breadth and depth of NIBR research offers a “critical mass” of science within which any individual scientist can find synergies that help drive his or her work forward in ways that simply can’t happen in more isolated settings. We make sure that our scientists receive the most support possible in both their work and their non-work lives, ensuring a healthy balance and thus the emotional and intellectual energy needed to drive innovation. This takes the form of ongoing education, attention to personal benefits, and careful assessment and fulfillment of the resources needed to allow for raw talent to translate to success.
 

Retaining talent
Obviously, our exceptional talent is coveted by many others, and so we need to ensure that we keep our scientists both happy and productive here. One important initiative we have implemented is a program of incentives that rewards innovation and productivity not only individually but across the entire research group. By sharing in both the risk and the success of the entire NIBR venture a scientist is more than just an individual but is rather a valued member of a living scientific organism. Although there are other retention incentives, this experience of “belonging” is the most critical to our efforts.