Innovation is our lifeblood

Innovation at Vertex is driven by a single purpose: to transform lives. We have an entire department dedicated to innovation (VIER, or Vertex Innovation & Educational Research) and have developed both internal and external programs so our culture of innovation can grow even further.

scientist at workbench

Innovation at Vertex is driven by a single purpose: to transform lives. We have an entire department dedicated to innovation (VIER, or Vertex Innovation & Educational Research) and have developed both internal and external programs so our culture of innovation can grow even further.

Our goals

Our innovation programs are focused on four strategic objectives that support our overall goal of making Vertex a phenomenal place to innovate. 
 

Participants in a hackathon sit at tables working on their laptops

Generate and implement new ideas

Through innovation tournaments, hackathons and partnerships, we solve mission critical challenges to bring new medicines to patients.

2 presenters on stage reviewing a scientific slide

Create new connections internally and externally

We host brilliant speakers to share their work on a variety of topics. These diverse perspectives inspire and motivate us to think about new ways to address challenges.

A group of Vertex employees gathered in a conference room in a circle

Build a culture to nurture creative people and teams

We believe innovation is a trained skill. We teach our colleagues the science of innovation and support them throughout their creative process.

A group of Vertex participants review a series of papers on a board

Make high quality continuous education available to all Vertexians

We aim to make Vertex the best place to learn in our industry. Through Vertex University, we are creating learning opportunities that are accessible and egalitarian so that all Vertexians can grow.

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Our core innovation programs include the Vertex Fellows and Physician Investigator programs, our global innovation tournament (VOICE) and the Science and Medicine seminar series.

Vertex Fellows

Our Vertex Fellows program is a unique, one-year opportunity that brings together the best and the brightest of the next generation of scientists and physicians from around the globe. Designed to reach outstanding early career professionals, the program allows Fellows to collaborate directly with Vertex project teams, make real-world contributions to serious disease areas with unmet patient needs and prepare for the next phase of their career. 

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Physician Investigator Program

The Vertex Physician Investigator program is a unique hiring program specifically designed for exceptional early-career physician scientists who would like to embark on a career in the biotech industry. This two-year, rotation-based program offers the opportunity to learn about and contribute to the drug development process, receive mentorship from leaders at Vertex, and accelerate career growth.

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A man sitting down smiling with a smiling female colleague standing next to him
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VOICE

VOICE is an internal global innovation tournament that empowers all employees to develop ideas inspired by game-changing science or business challenges. Employees who have their ideas selected go on to build cross-functional teams, develop refined proposals and execute their winning plans. VOICE injects Vertex’s culture with an entrepreneurial spirit by encouraging employees to become change makers who can contribute to the direction of the company and help advance our goal of discovering cures for serious diseases. 

Since the program began in 2015, dozens of ideas have been implemented, including: 

  • Initiating a major research program in a new disease  
  • Developing multiple exploratory research projects  
  • Building a 3D printing lab 
  • Designing a mobile app to help Vertexians find one another  
  • Creating a learning platform to support life-long learning for all Vertexians
A woman presents in the Vertex Pharmaceuticals auditorium during the VOICE program
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Seminars

The Science and Medicine speaker series connects our employees with cutting-edge leaders across the industry. We look for thought-provoking speakers and ideas that challenge us to think about scientific problems in new ways. In this way, we encourage our employees to remain lifelong learners who bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the table. 

Recent speakers include:

  • Atul Gawande, M.D., Ph.D. (Brigham and Women’s Hospital) 

  • Aviv Regev, Ph.D. (Broad, MIT)

  • Kay Davies (Oxford)

  • Aravinda Chakravarti (Hopkins)

  • Vamsi Mootha (MGH)

  • Jeffrey Kopp (NIH)

  • Kit Parker (Harvard)

  • Rick Lifton (Rockefeller)

  • Mahzarin Banaji (Harvard)

  • Vijay Pande (Stanford) 

  • George Daley (Harvard)

  • Feng Zhang (MIT)

  • Laura Kiessling (MIT)

  • Matthew Disney (Scripps Research Institute)

Two speakers on stage during a Vertex seminar
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