How do I get budget approval for drug discovery software?
Buying software for your company can be a challenge. Every organisation does things differently, and there is often no handbook…
If you are considering purchasing software to help your drug discovery efforts, one of the first questions you are likely to ask is “How much is it going to cost?”
The somewhat obvious answer is “It depends”. Here, I’ll outline the key factors which influence pricing. These include the number of users, deployment options, and breadth of capabilities provided. I’ll then go into details for our StarDrop platform licenses. So, let’s begin!
How number of users affect drug discovery software costs
The number of people who need access to the platform is a crucial part of finalising a subscription cost for any discovery software. More users means higher set-up, training and support costs, plus increased computational expense and server traffic.
Different software is licensed to different numbers of users in a variety of ways. For example, in the case of StarDrop, we can provide licences for single users, specific sites or an entire company. Licences can also be provided on a floating basis. This provides access to a set number of concurrent users in a cost-effective way.
Breadth of capability
Another obvious one is what the software does. How unique are its capabilities compared to other platforms on the market? What advantages does it offer in terms of speed or accuracy? Does it tackle one niche really well, or does it contain a wide variety of features?
Learn more about the tasks that can be supported by drug discovery software
For StarDrop, a modular set up allows the user to tailor their subscription package, based on their specific needs. The core features around data visualisation, molecular design, multi-parameter optimisation (MPO) and SAR analysis can be extended with up to 10 different modules. These span predictive modelling for ADME properties, generative chemistry, 3D ligand- and structure-based drug design and advanced MPO methods.
Additional extensions include collaborative design functionality, database querying and connections to other software platforms such as 3D docking and alignment platforms, CDD Vault™, or external predictive models.
The more functionality you need, and the more advanced or niche the capability, the higher the likely cost.
Hosting
A factor sometimes overlooked is deployment method. Do you want cloud-based or desktop software? Will your team host your own servers on your own sites? Or would you like your software provider to host your servers?
Which option you choose may depend on a variety of factors, including company data security policies, in-house IT expertise and team capacity, and maintenance costs.
With StarDrop, if you decide to host the software yourself, there is no additional cost to the licence. Increasingly more and more StarDrop users are asking us to host the software. Whilst there is a small additional charge for this service, we have found that the total cost of ownership tends to be lower for the users.
Conclusions – understanding the cost of drug discovery software
Once you have a firm understanding of your requirements around licenses, deployment, capability and customisation, you have the information needed for a clear quote for your software.
For a comprehensive small molecule platform like StarDrop, annual subscriptions typically start at around $10,000, but can substantially increase to the six-figure range depending on breadth of function and users (e.g. global site licenses with several modules).
How much will it cost me?
If you’d like a personal quote for StarDrop, we’d be happy to help – complete the form and a member of the team will be happy to discuss your requirements.
About the author
James Halle
James leads Optibrium’s commercial team, overseeing global sales, customer success, and marketing while shaping the company’s product commercialization strategy. He brings extensive experience from senior roles at Cytel, IQVIA, IBM, and LexisNexis, combining technical and business expertise with a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Cardiff.
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