Building the Future: Novartis Innovation Lab - AI, Game Studio, XR & Emerging Tech

Imagine stepping into a space where cutting-edge technology meets life-changing impact. At Novartis we’re building something extraordinary – an Innovation Lab (iLab) where we are mastering the art and science of pure-play innovation by identifying and prioritizing new and emerging tech with an innovation strategy that turns ideas into market disrupting reality. The iLab’s AI, Game Studio, XR and other emerging tech combine to transform how we deliver critical information to healthcare professionals and patients.

This isn’t about technology for technology’s sake. It is exactly the opposite. In fact, iLab’s strategic ambition and resulting solutions are designed to make a real difference in patients’ lives. From augmented reality to holographic experiences, the innovation hub pushes boundaries while staying grounded in purpose.

A Strategy-Led Approach to Emerging Technology

We’re a future-focused innovation strategy team exploring high-priority, novel concepts, tech and ideas beyond our organization’s current capabilities that truly deliver on behalf of the patients we serve.

Dr. Sterlena Taylor, Executive Director, Head Innovation Lab

In the GARAGE by iLab (the GARAGE), the hard work of understanding and connecting solutioning to real world problems is an everyday challenge. Launched in the US East Hanover campus in April 2025, the GARAGE provides a physical space for everyone across Novartis to collaborate on problem-solving using the seven unique workstations making up the workspace, from the Open Innovation Theatre to the XR Immersive Studio.

Taylor who has decades in leading innovation and new and emerging tech across industries, added: “This is where we roll up our sleeves and think deeply around how to solve the ever-pressing problems in the ecosystem; we explore, experiment, and ultimately move potential solutions through a rigorous innovation model to ensure we are delivering solutions that matter, that will have an impact. Innovation is a thinker’s sport. And the GARAGE is a workhorse, not a show pony.”

“We’re not chasing trends; we start with the problem and then we’re aligning the right emerging technologies, like XR, for the best solve”, Xavier Hansen, Director Innovation Lab, Emerging Technologies, shared. Hansen, who has spent over 20 years in emerging tech, building start-ups and innovation labs across industries, says what is happening at Novartis is unique. Why? Because it’s not an ivory tower.

Since the iLab launched five years ago, we have delivered value-creating solutions for a broad range of critical use cases, and that track record is now fueling our expansion as we tap global talent to accelerate our impact.

Sam Gupta, Director Innovation Lab, AI

The team works closely across Novartis and with innovation-rich organizations and thought leaders to imagine what’s possible and deliver best-in-class user-centric solutions. It’s a place where ideas move quickly from concept to impact.

Use Case Spotlight: Reimagining HCP Education

One area where this approach is already coming to life is healthcare professional (HCP) education. Through immersive XR experiences, interactive AI-powered simulations, and game-based learning, the Innovation Lab is reimagining how complex scientific information is delivered and retained.

Instead of static content, HCPs can explore disease states in three dimensions, interact with virtual patients, and engage with data in context—making learning more intuitive, memorable, and clinically relevant. The result is education that meets HCPs where they are and supports deeper understanding.

Hansen says he’s often asked why a tech professional should consider joining Novartis. His answer is simple: impact.

I wake up every morning and work for a company that says ‘patients first’. That’s pretty cool. And beyond that, we have the funding, the vision, and the determination to build things that matter.

Xavier Hansen, Director Innovation Lab, Emerging Tech

Leadership Perspective: Turning Innovation into Impact

From a leadership standpoint, the iLab represents a deliberate shift—from experimentation in isolation to innovation that is deeply connected to business priorities.

“Our focus is not just on what’s possible, but on what’s meaningful, turning innovation into impact,” says Sam Gupta, Director Innovation Lab, AI. “We’re building capabilities that help teams communicate complex science more clearly and empower healthcare professionals with better tools as we seek to help them improve how patients experience care.”

By combining strategy, emerging technology, and cross-functional collaboration, the iLab serves as both a catalyst and a connector—bridging visionary ideas with real-world application. “Innovation only matters when it scales responsibly,” Taylor adds. “That means designing solutions that are compliant, user-centric, and ready to integrate into how we work today, while preparing us for what’s next.”

That’s why we are growing. We are building an innovation team full of “true believers” in what is possible and how to get there. We are adding experts in our core areas of AI, XR, games, and emerging technologies, as well as supporting cast with martech and marketing expertise to help us accelerate innovation.

This approach ensures the Innovation Lab is not a side initiative, but a core enabler of Novartis’ mission to reimagine medicine—bringing together creativity, rigor, and purpose to build solutions that truly make a difference, so we can win—for patients.