Innovation in Biotech Requires a First Leap

This week in the Guardrail, Michael Bronfman challenges the overuse of the term "innovation" in the biotechnology sector. Do you agree that true progress requires companies to take a significant risk? Read on.

Written by Michael Bronfman for Metis Consulting Services

December 15, 2025

The word innovation appears everywhere in biotechnology today. Companies use it in marketing materials. Research groups use it when they release early results. Investors use it when they promote new ideas in drug development. The word has become so common that it often loses its meaning. Many groups say they are innovators even when they are doing the same activities that others have done for years. In many cases, the only new thing is the vocabulary used to describe very familiar work.

Real innovation is very different. Real innovation requires a first leap. It requires someone to move beyond accepted limits and step into unexplored territory. If no person takes that first leap, then the field does not truly move forward. The community may dress up the same ideas and processes with new names, but the science itself does not change. This essay explains what innovation really means in biotechnology, why the first leap matters, and how the field can support the people who are willing to make that leap.

The Difference Between Real Innovation and Repackaged Activity

Biotechnology makes remarkable progress each year. Research tools become more precise. Computers help scientists examine very large amounts of data. Genetic engineering methods continue to improve. These developments are important, but they are not always examples of innovation by themselves. Real innovation creates something new and useful that did not exist before. It changes what is possible.

Many companies say they have created new systems, but sometimes they simply adjust existing methods. For example, a therapy may use the same basic drug delivery approach that another team used five years earlier. A device may improve an older design that still relies on the same core principles. These advances are valuable, but they are not always true innovation. The field sometimes accepts small changes as major progress because it is easy and safe to support what is already known.

The United States National Science Foundation defines innovation as the introduction of a new idea, method, or device that provides clear value beyond what existed before. The agency explains that innovation requires both novelty and usefulness. The key point is that novelty must come from a true departure from previous work.

If no one takes the risk of asking new questions or using unfamiliar methods, then biotechnology stays in place. The field becomes comfortable with repetition. The work looks busy, but it does not lead to discovery.

Why the First Leap Matters

The first leap is the moment when a scientist or a company tries something truly new. It might be a new way to design a drug. It might be a new way to understand disease biology. It might be a new way to use data or engineering to solve a human problem. This leap is often difficult because it carries risk. The idea might not work. The experiment might fail. Supporters might lose confidence.

However, without this leap, no society advances. Every major change in biotechnology began with someone who accepted the risk. Messenger RNA vaccines did not begin as a guaranteed success. For many years scientists struggled to build a stable messenger RNA platform. They faced rejection and delays. The work only succeeded because a few researchers continued to push forward despite setbacks. A history of messenger RNA vaccine development is described by the United States National Institutes of Health, which can be found here.

The development of immunotherapy for cancer also shows the importance of the first leap. Early researchers who studied how the immune system could fight tumors were told that their ideas were unrealistic. Over time their early leaps created a new field and new cancer treatments. The National Cancer Institute provides a summary of this history.

These examples show that progress happens because the first leap becomes a path for others. After the first group steps forward, others follow. New fields appear. New treatments are designed. New companies form. However, this path does not exist until someone is willing to cross the boundary of what is known.

The Problem of Calling Old Ideas New

Many groups in biotechnology use the language of innovation even when they are not advancing anything new. This habit leads to confusion. If every idea is called innovative, then the word loses value. Policymakers, investors, and the public may start to feel that the field has promised more than it delivers. The gap between language and reality can create mistrust.

There are several reasons why older ideas are often described as new:

1. Marketing pressure
   
   Companies want to stand out. They believe the word innovation will attract partners and customers. This can create a cycle where language becomes more important than substance.
   

2. Investment expectations
   
   Investors often want to see rapid progress. Teams may use strong promotional language to secure funding even when the science is in early stages.
   

3. Fear of risk
   
   True innovation takes time and may fail. Some organizations prefer safe activities that appear productive. They may present these small changes as larger breakthroughs.
   

4. Limited public knowledge
   
   Many people outside the field do not know the details of biotechnology. It is easier for groups to claim innovation without being challenged.
   

This pattern does not help the field. It creates a situation where real innovative work competes with many inflated claims. It also makes it more difficult to explain why true breakthroughs require time, resources, and patience.

How Biotech Can Support True Innovation

The biotechnology sector can support real innovation by creating an environment where people are encouraged to take the first leap. Several strategies can help.

Support for High Risk Early Research

Many major discoveries begin with ideas that have no guarantee of success. Funding agencies and private investors often hesitate to support early high-risk work. However, this stage is where the first leap usually happens. Some programs recognize this need. For example, the National Institutes of Health supports early-stage high-risk research through its High Risk High Reward Research Program.

More programs like this could help researchers take the leap without fear of losing support.

Clear Language and Honest Assessment

Biotechnology organizations can help the field by describing their work accurately. If a method is an improvement instead of a breakthrough, it should be described as such. Honest language builds trust. It also helps highlight the work that truly pushes boundaries.

Cross Field Collaboration

Some breakthroughs come from combining ideas from different scientific areas. When biology, chemistry, engineering, and data science connect, new ideas become possible. Collaboration creates more opportunities for first leaps because researchers see problems from new angles.

Training for Young Scientists

Young researchers can be encouraged to think creatively. Education programs can teach them how to ask new questions instead of repeating older projects. When young scientists learn that discovery requires courage, the field becomes stronger.

Stable Funding for Long Term Work

Many innovations require years of study. Sudden changes in research funding can slow or stop progress. Stable investment allows teams to take risks because they do not fear immediate loss of resources. This stability also encourages long term thinking, which is essential for real discovery.

Innovation and Public Health

Innovation in biotechnology is not only about new products. It is also about improving public health. New ideas can reduce the cost of care, shorten the time needed to diagnose disease, and create new therapies for conditions that currently have no treatment. For example, gene editing technology has opened the door to new treatments for inherited diseases. The United States Food and Drug Administration provides information about the first approved gene editing therapy here.

This approval happened because researchers made several early leaps. They explored a new method to change genes, even when the outcome was uncertain. Over time their work moved from theory to practice. The result is a therapy that would not exist without those initial leaps.

The Responsibility to Move Beyond Repetition

The biotechnology community must recognize that progress requires more than small adjustments. If the field only repeats earlier work with updated language, then society loses opportunities for meaningful advancement. Real innovation requires bold thinking. It requires the courage to test ideas that may fail. It requires the willingness to challenge accepted limits.

Innovation is not a slogan. It is a responsibility. When scientists and companies use the word innovation, they should honor the weight of that responsibility. They should demonstrate that they are pushing the field into new territory.

Someone Must Be First

Innovation in biotechnology begins when someone takes the first leap. Without that leap, the field repeats older ideas and gives them new names. Real progress stops. Society loses new therapies, new tools, and new knowledge.

Biotechnology must support those willing to take that first step. These individuals create the breakthroughs that shape the future of medicine and science. When the field honors true innovation and recognizes the courage behind it, then society benefits from discovery that is truly new and meaningful.

The future depends on the willingness to leap.

To ensure your organization takes the high-impact first leap that defines true innovation, contact Metis Consulting Services today and let us partner with you to turn bold vision into tangible scientific progress.