Enough with the panels and presentations, tech leader says: Philly’s life sciences community can’t thrive without informal meetups

When I returned to Philadelphia in early 2016, after more than 20 years on the West Coast, the life sciences community here was gaining momentum. A decade later, some of that grassroots enthusiasm has waned — but there’s a way to get it back.

Back then, institutions like the University of Pennsylvania were fostering innovation through startups, and a wave of new companies was establishing a presence in the region. Since then, increased investment and research initiatives have put Philadelphia on the map as a key player in cell and gene therapy.

With access to major transportation hubs like Philadelphia International Airport and the Amtrak Northeast Corridor, the city provides direct connections to other life sciences communities such as Boston, New York and Baltimore. 

This connectivity, combined with an ecosystem of world-class research institutions, incubators, and venture capital interest, has attracted a growing number of life sciences companies to Philadelphia. In fact, it’s why the East Coast office of my company GxP Authority is based here.

While the Philadelphia life sciences community is growing and gaining recognition, some challenges remain. Organizations like the University City Science Center, Venture Cafe and UCity Square have good instincts for fostering innovation, but their gatherings tend more toward presentations than hands-on collaboration, limiting effective knowledge sharing. 

To reach its full potential, the community needs to focus on deeper engagement and interactive opportunities. Here’s how it can do that.

Space for ‘informal knowledge sharing’ is key to a thriving scene

Years ago, a potential client contacted me about a document tracking problem. I arranged a meeting at their office to observe their workflow and brought along a colleague who had recently joined my consulting practice. 

During the meeting, we learned that paper documents were being removed from a document library, but no one knew where they went.

The client envisioned a complex and expensive solution, but I proposed that we first prototype the workflow using a sign-out/sign-in sheet. We agreed to review the results in a week. As we left, my colleague asked why I had given away such a simple solution when the client was willing to pay for something more elaborate.

I explained that building trust was more valuable than selling an unnecessary solution. By demonstrating that we prioritized their real needs over profit, we established credibility. The client quickly saw that the simple sign-out sheet solved their problem and within weeks they became a long-term client of my consulting practice.

This is a variation of the loss-leader strategy. It is a strategy I have used successfully throughout my career as a consultant to build credibility and trust with clients in life sciences communities across the United States and European Union.

How does this relate to local life sciences? This field can use it, too, as a way to further its connections. 

I believe this strategy is a type of informal knowledge sharing. Many of us have likely experienced informal knowledge sharing at some point in our careers. It typically happens during brief hallway conversations or over coffee with trusted colleagues. In these casual settings, there is a level of comfort that allows us to discuss open problems, to ask for help, and to learn from one another.

I have experienced and benefited from informal knowledge sharing many times as a student and a working professional. This type of exchange occurs naturally at colleges, universities, and in industry, and could be a bigger part of the events we put on. 

Casual, in-person meetups make knowledge sharing easier 

I attended my first informal life sciences meetup more than 20 years ago at Genentech in South San Francisco. The meetup focused on sharing techniques for designing, building and testing data analysis applications using R and SAS. 

Through this meetup, I gained a deeper understanding of how to use R and SAS, the importance of data quality, and that results generated by these applications must be verified as valid before being used for decision-making purposes. 

Meetups usually begin as a small group of people from different organizations getting together to discuss open problems, suggest potential solutions or share known solutions. As time passes, they tend to develop into a larger and more diverse group to include working professionals and students.

Informal meetups and knowledge sharing are important, often overlooked, drivers of innovation. In my experience, they are not easy to get off the ground, but once established they stimulate a culture of learning, agility and innovation. 

How to start and run a life sciences meet-up     

In sum, informal meetups and knowledge-sharing build:

• Trust – Informal meetups usually begin with a small group of trusted colleagues
• Generosity – Keeping it informal and free requires the generosity of the community
• Community – The community benefits from accelerated problem-solving and innovation

Still, it can be intimidating to get started. Don’t be afraid to use your networks, as you ramp up to the structure. To begin, consider the following: 

• Engage – Ask colleagues to list open problems that are slowing or blocking their work
• Compile – Compile a list of open, non-confidential problems to share with your colleagues
• Meet – Meet periodically to discuss the list and share potential or known solutions

If no community space is available for the meetup, it can take place over lunch or coffee at a café that this convenient to the group. 

One of the best results of the meetup is when you realize you have a problem that you didn’t know you had, and that there is a known solution.