The challenge they faced:
Scientists across this global pharmaceutical company relied on datasets spread across multiple repositories—many inherited from acquisitions with different standards. With no unified view or search capability, finding relevant files was nearly impossible. Previous efforts faltered amid competing executive priorities and lack of alignment.
Our approach:
The initial ask was to focus on using AI to make finding specific artifacts easier across a wide range of data repositories. Our research revealed another critical opportunity: scientists needed to find not just datasets, but the domain experts who understood them. In the global organization, this expertise was hidden across regions and departments. We designed an AI-powered platform that surfaced both data and people—connecting researchers to the specialists they didn't know existed. This shifted the solution from search to discovery, driving 40% increase in cross-team collaboration.
The business impact:
- Division projects executed 38% faster through streamlined data discovery
- Collaboration across research teams increased by 40%
- Unified interface transformed data access from fragmented to findable
