About Boehringer Ingelheim
Client: Boehringer Ingelheim
Industry: Pharmaceuticals
Key Stakeholders: Stanislav Kischner (Global Data & Platform Owner)
Client Since: 2019
Tools Used: SmartSimple Cloud
Overview
Headquartered in Germany, Boehringer Ingelheim is a world-leading, research-driven pharmaceutical company. With operations spanning across 18 countries and more than 51,000 employees, BI’s mission is to improve human and animal health through innovation. As part of this mission, BI funds groundbreaking medical research through global grants and collaborative partnerships.
Challenges
By 2019, BI’s research grants management process was facing serious limitations:
- No centralized intake: requests came via email, in person, and even by post
- Manual workflows: led to inconsistent processing across countries
- Lack of standardization: each affiliate used its own systems and procedures
- Limited visibility: compliance, reporting, and collaboration were difficult to manage
BI needed a single, global platform that could bring order to a decentralized process while being flexible enough to reflect local nuances.
Solutions Implemented
Working with Gen3, BI selected SmartSimple Cloud to power their new centralized funding platform. The result was Lectrona – a tailored system that centralized all research grant applications, reviews, and reporting into a single global hub.
Platform Priorities:
- Standardization of global funding workflows
- Transparency across the approval lifecycle
- Efficiency through automation
- Collaboration tools for external research partners
- Configurability for local language, laws, and processes
Impact & Outcomes
Lectrona has fundamentally transformed BI’s research funding operations:
- Faster reviews and approvals for time-sensitive funding, including during COVID-19
- Improved data quality and real-time spend reporting
- Streamlined compliance with built-in audit tracking
- Consistent applicant experience regardless of geography
- Scalability to support new program types and business areas
Client Testimonials
“At the beginning of this initiative, our vision was for the platform to be a one-stop-shop solution for third-party funding requests. Our global funding platform – Lectrona – makes managing the funding application process easier, for Boehringer Ingelheim and applicants alike.”
— Stanislav Kischner, Global Data & Platform Owner
Key Takeaways
By investing in SmartSimple Cloud and partnering with Gen3, Boehringer Ingelheim transformed an outdated and fragmented research funding process into Lectrona, a powerful, centralized platform. Today, BI is better equipped to manage research partnerships globally, act quickly, and demonstrate impact with transparency and confidence.