Cognizant and Benchling Selected as Partners to Accelerate Kyowa Kirin’s R&D

AI Builders Bridging the Gap from AI to Impact | Cognizant(opens in new tab) today announced that it will support the introduction and implementation of Benchling, the AI platform for R&D at Tokyo Research Park and Fuji Research Park, research sites in Japan operated by Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd.

Benchling gives scientists a single place to capture structured data, run AI models and agents and automate the workflows that move discovery and development forward. Through Cognizant’s implementation support, researchers in the Research Division of Kyowa Kirin will be able to efficiently and seamlessly conduct a range of research activities, from experiment planning and execution to data collection and use of AI, within a single environment. This implementation demonstrates Kyowa Kirin’s strong commitment to accelerating R&D productivity by addressing an expanding pipeline and increasingly advanced and diverse research needs. Cognizant will support this effort through centralized data management, enhanced molecular design processes and workflow automation.

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Kyowa Kirin is a global specialty pharmaceutical company with strengths in specific disease areas, including bone and mineral disorders, intractable hematologic diseases and hemato oncology and rare diseases. At its three research facilities worldwide, the company is pursuing innovative modalities such as advanced antibody technologies and hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy. By integrating “disease science” with “drug discovery technologies” that identify optimal solutions based on scientific insights, Kyowa Kirin is accelerating the creation of life-changing value.

To further advance these initiatives, the company needed a platform that could support cutting-edge scientific research through automation and AI, together with an experienced implementation partner to deploy, operate and manage it at scale.

With this implementation, Benchling is expected to help automate experimental design and data collection, accelerating the research cycle from drug discovery target identification through to new drug candidate selection. Benchling connects directly with Kyowa Kirin’s laboratory instruments, enabling data to be captured automatically as structured, searchable records without manual entry. Benchling also supports collaboration across the research process and provides Kyowa Kirin’s researchers with agentic and analytical capabilities that understand scientific context. In addition, the AI platform is expected to help researchers conduct molecular design, access years of experimental history, generate reports and analyze relationships across research activities more efficiently.

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In collaboration with Benchling, Cognizant is expected to provide end-to-end support across the entire process, from platform setup to data migration, system implementation and ongoing maintenance following deployment. In addition, by optimizing data flows in line with the expansion of research scale, Cognizant is expected to help improve researcher productivity and support more informed decision-making. By providing products and services under a single contract, Kyowa Kirin aims to enhance cost predictability while reducing large capital expenditures and enabling flexible cost management as operating expenses.

“Through the implementation of Benchling under the partnership with Cognizant, we expect to promote the standardization of workflows and the structuring of data in research environments,” said Takashi Shimada,(opens in new tab) Head of Research Division, Kyowa Kirin Co., Ltd(opens in new tab). “By enhancing the entire research process, we aim to establish a next-generation drug discovery foundation capable of continuously creating innovative new medicines.”

“Kyowa Kirin is transforming its research processes to address some of the most difficult challenges in healthcare and to deliver innovative new medicines to patients as quickly as possible,” said Sajith Wickramasekara(opens in new tab), co-founder and CEO, Benchling(opens in new tab). “Benchling embeds AI into daily workflows, connected to years of accumulated experimental data and context. In biopharma research and development, the speed and quality of research cycles have a direct impact on patients. AI only becomes meaningful when it proves its value in these real-world settings.”

“Our partnership with Kyowa Kirin in implementing Benchling will help redefine the company’s pursuit of scientific excellence, drug discovery research and laboratory operations and establish a new benchmark for business engagement,” said Archana Ramanakumar, Industry Solutions Leader and Senior Vice President, Cognizant. “We are confident that this innovative and future-oriented collaboration will create a solid success story.”

“Kyowa Kirin is revolutionizing its research processes through the implementation of Benchling and collaboration with Cognizant,” said Nobuhiko Watanabe,(opens in new tab) President and Representative Director, Cognizant Japan. “This initiative is expected to significantly improve drug discovery efficiency and further strengthen the company’s position in the Japanese market.”

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