UnearthIQ Novartis India GCC Insght

What actually worked for Novartis in India? A 25-year evolution from a 20-person service centre into one of the company's most strategic global hubs. It began in Hyderabad in 2001 as a Global Service Center, rapidly expanded into biomedical research and drug development through the 2000s, and today sits at the heart of Novartis' AI-first R&D transformation. The result: 9,000+ employees, 3,000+ scientists and researchers, 52 active clinical trials, and ownership of critical functions spanning drug discovery, pharmacovigilance, clinical development, commercial analytics, and global operations.

This brief decodes the specific moves that transformed India from a support location into Novartis' largest site outside Basel: the expansion from services to science, the integration of research and clinical operations, the concentration of global drug safety and quality functions, and the growing role of AI in accelerating drug discovery, medical imaging, and pharmacovigilance.

Part of the GCC InsightCircle Series, where we demystify 1,950+ GCCs in India one company at a time.