P304: Publication Planning as a Life Science Startup Strategic Capability
Poster Presenter
John (Eun Sik) Cho
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Rutgers Institute For Pharmaceutical Industry Fellowships / Daiichi Sankyo, Inc. United States
Objectives
““Life science startups operate in high-uncertainty environments where scientific evidence generation, regulatory approval, and commercialization must be coordinated across extended timelines. While strategic planning research highlights the value of structured coordination, limited work examines how publication planning functions as a strategic capability rather than a downstream communication activity.
Method
Using a theory-building single-case design, this study analyzes the publication strategy of a venture-backed ophthalmic startup (“MedCo”) using publicly available company communications, clinical trial registries, conference records, and industry reporting. Pattern matching and theory-informed coding draw on the Planning School of Strategy and the Theory of Planned Behavior to link planning artifacts to strategic coordination and execution mechanisms.
Results
Results demonstrate that publication planning operates as a multi-stage strategic capability characterized by three integrated strategies: (1) milestone-triggered sequencing of abstracts and manuscripts aligned to data readiness; (2) stakeholder-targeted messaging synchronized to regulatory, payer, and clinician decision windows; and (3) governance routines, including cross-functional review checkpoints, that balance execution discipline with adaptive flexibility. Together, these strategies enable consistent dissemination cadence, reinforce scientific credibility, and coordinate cross-functional action.
Conclusion
The study concludes that structured publication planning synchronizes evidence generation with stakeholder decision-making, strengthening legitimacy and commercialization readiness under uncertainty. By transforming intent into coordinated action, publication planning functions as a core mechanism linking scientific progress to market adoption in early-stage life science ventures.
