When selecting a new contract manufacturer for a biomanufacturing project, Manufacturing/Production personnel hold the greatest average influence at 18%, according to ISR’s Bioprocessing Market Outlook 2025–2030. Executive Management and R&D follow closely, each accounting for 15% of decision-making influence.
Department Influence on CDMO Selection
(Average % allocated by 100 respondents)
The remaining influence is distributed across seven additional functions. Procurement/Supply Chain and Quality Assurance each account for around 9%, followed by Scientists/Chemists and Project Management at approximately 7% each. Clinical Development, Regulatory Affairs, and Drug Discovery/Preclinical each contribute around 5%, with Consultant (4%) and Validation (3%) rounding out the picture.
About the data
The findings are drawn from a 30-minute web-based survey conducted in Q3 2025 with 100 respondents at pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Participants were required to have active responsibilities in outsourced biologic development or manufacturing within the past 18 months, and to play a direct role in gathering information about, selecting, or managing contract manufacturers.
The cohort skews toward larger organizations: 48% work at companies with R&D spend above $1B, 37% at midsize companies ($100M–$1B), and 15% at smaller companies (under $100M). Geographically, 59% are based in North America, 36% in Europe, and 5% in Asia-Pacific.
Source: ISR, Bioprocessing Market Outlook: 2025–2030 (5th Edition)
