This post was written by Eric Langer, Managing Partner, BioPlan Associates, Inc.

Yes, doing surveys is a pain.  So there’d better be a darn good reason.  Here’s a survey with 7 good reasons that I consider worth the effort.  The industry and participants benefit from the 9th Annual Report and Survey of Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing, and here’s why.
1)    The study questions are relevant and based on real-world experience. They are developed by a nonprofit global panel of industry experts—The Biotechnology Industry Council, which is a group of 270 biomanufacturers and key vendors that provide subject matter expertise, and submit, each year, a set of the most urgent questions and issues on strategic areas projected to become problematic in the coming year(s).
2)    Few comprehensive, quantitative analyses of this industry exist—The Annual Report includes responses from between 350 and 450 biomanufacturers annually. An additional 180-200 vendors also participate each year.  That’s a lot of detailed global production data!
3)    Trends over time present a compelling story—Measuring biopharma trends over years delivers far more than a simple snapshot of the industry’s current situation.  Measuring changes over time, and correlating those changes with real-world trends and experiences provides a compelling picture of the industry’s strengths, weaknesses, and future direction.
4)    Participants get trend data first, and for free—the study provides hundreds of respondents with free, extensive summaries of the current data, and aggregated responses from participants in over 30 countries.  Information is aggregated; no respondent information is provided. So data are more accurate, and valid.  (If more detailed information is needed, the annual reports are also available for sale).
5)    Participants see the most urgent issues—by reading the study questions, you’ll understand what is most important to industry thought-leaders.
6)    Contributing to industry benchmarking—perhaps most important, by participating in this study, you’re contributing to accurate benchmarking of the current issues affecting the industry today:
a.    Budget trends
b.    New technologies developed by suppliers
c.    New technologies demanded by end-users
d.    Hiring trends
e.    Outsourcing and offshoring effects on current jobs
f.    Productivity, and the impact of layoffs
g.    Impact of biosimilars on industry capacity
h.    Capacity bottlenecks associated with downstream production
i.    Implementation of quality management processes
j.    New technology adoption rates
7)    Contributing to global health—Participants not only receive a summary of the study, but also a $10 donation on their behalf goes to global health charities—up to $10,000.

With all these personal and societal benefits, few qualified biomanufacturers have reasons not to participate. So take the survey today.