Research scientist working at a lab bench in a vaccine development facility
Case studyLife Sciences - Vaccine Development

Building a High-Performing R&D Team Across Europe

When a global vaccine company needed to scale its R&D capability across three countries, Vertage brought together expert scientists, on-site leadership and tight governance to turn a stalled development program into work with momentum.

15

scientists recruited across the client's sites

3

countries where R&D teams were aligned and integrated

3

on-site Senior Scientists and Team Leaders appointed

Fixed

monthly fee kept costs transparent and firmly on budget

Before

A growing product portfolio and cramped lab facilities left an R&D team split across three countries and behind schedule.

During

Vertage ran a gap analysis, recruited specialist scientists through its international reach and placed a team leader at every site.

After

Backlog fell, lab space worked harder and agile teams gave the client clear oversight and predictable, fixed monthly costs.

Executive summary

Introduction

When a global vaccine company needed to scale its R&D capability across three countries, Vertage brought together expert scientists, on-site leadership and tight governance to turn a stalled development program into work with momentum.

Situation

A global vaccine company was expanding its product development portfolio faster than its laboratories could keep up. Its R&D scientists were spread across sites in three countries, and limited lab space made it hard to build an efficient, cohesive working environment.

Challenge

The pressure showed. Development had slipped behind schedule, and internal management teams had little capacity left to manage, train and integrate new scientific staff.

Without more hands and clearer coordination across borders, the portfolio risked stalling further. The client needed specialist expertise fast, without losing control of quality or compliance.

Solution

Vertage started with a gap analysis, turning it into a clear set of deliverables. From there, the team moved quickly: recruiting 15 scientists through Vertage's international capabilities, with multilingual recruiters matching each candidate's technical and soft skills to the client's needs and staying compliant with national legislation throughout.

To keep the work moving, Vertage appointed a Senior Scientist and Team Leader at each site, so workload and team cohesion had an owner on the ground. Tailored training programs and regular virtual meetings kept the three sites aligned and collaborating remotely. And within a strict regulatory framework, Vertage examined lab facilities, equipment use, and processes to find every gain in efficiency.

Scientists collaborating on lab results across a multi-site research team

Results

The impact reached well beyond staffing:

  • Integrated Vertage teams worked inside the client's own lab facilities, cutting backlog and making lab space work harder, freeing stakeholders to focus on strategic goals.
  • Agile teams adapted fast to shifts in the drug supply chain, meeting the regulatory and logistical demands of multi-country development.
  • A Vertage European Operations Director and a robust governance framework gave the client clear sight of every deliverable.
  • A fixed monthly fee kept costs transparent and firmly on budget.