A strategic alliance is a long-term partnership. Also referred to as a joint venture. In this case, two or more organizations or institutions work together to achieve mutual benefits.
These partnerships may desire to:
- Collaborate on new research, new products
- Share resources
- Pool efforts (such as in research and development)
- Use joint marketing campaigns
These alliances can leverage the strength of partnerships while cutting costs for all parties involved.
A complex operation, such as building or renovating a medical or research laboratory, might involve forming a strategic partnership with a team of lab designers and architects.11 This partnership will establish the operation's objectives, methods, stakeholders, and budget, as well as guide from start to finish. The team will need to be vetted, and clear expectations established - before the partnership (contract stage) is formalized.
An example of a strategic alliance might be a partnership with different vendors, such as a research laboratory partnering with a manufacturer of in vitro diagnostic testing. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test reagents are largely based in the research sector, with specific manufacturers set to take the reagents to the next level, for use on their clinical platforms. Both partners leverage their strengths by sharing suppliers and logistics and may use a joint marketing campaign. Patents may even be shared accordingly.
Another example is the strategic community partnerships developed by the local Veterans Administration (VA) facilities and state and local community services and agencies. These types of partnerships enhance and improve care in many ways, one of which is to improve access to care. A strategic community partnership might involve sharing laboratory services with the main VA facility to provide access to care (phlebotomy draw site or testing) in a remote location.
Yet other examples may involve a group of pathologists entering into a joint venture operative agreement, or large referral laboratories partnering with smaller independent laboratories or suppliers to achieve mutual benefits.
