Pharmaceutical industry executives say they have had difficulty hiring top talent, a PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institute survey of CEOs found. One-third of U.S. biopharmaceutical companies have tried novel approaches to filling research and development staffing needs, including: revamping their R&D operations; narrowing focus areas; and partnering with contract research organizations, competitors, foundations or academic institutions. Researchers will increasingly need skills in developing and managing outside partnerships, an understanding of regulatory science, and knowledge of bioinformatics and health economics, biopharma CEOs say.