Visible-Light Photocatalysis Academic–Industrial Collaboration Retrospective: Shared Learning and Impact Analysis

• Kevin P. Cole^a
• James J. Douglas^a,b
• Travis Hammerstad^b
• Corey R. J. Stephenson^b

• ^aSynthetic Molecule Design and Development, Lilly Research Laboratories, Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, Indiana 46285, United States
• ^bDepartment of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, United States

The 4.5 year academic–industrial collaboration between the process chemistry group at Lilly and the Stephenson group (Boston University and University of Michigan) is summarized. From the industrial perspective, the relationship benefitted Lilly by enabling the development of visible-light photoredox catalysis processes with an expert partner as well as the establishment of internal technology platforms to support such processes. In addition to the funding element, the academic side benefited from the ability to access pharmaceutically relevant problems and tap into continuous processing capabilities at Lilly. Another positive outcome of the collaboration was the inspiration of spinoff projects, which themselves generated substantial value in the academic setting. The postdoctoral researchers involved benefitted from the unique mentorship opportunity provided by the collaboration and access to resources from both academia and industry. We will analyze the impact of the collaboration in terms of personal development, publications, and new technologies that resulted, which we feel were highly beneficial for both sides of the collaboration.

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