Skip to main content

Sabrina Staniewska

Research-grounded, strategy-led design.

Home

Work

About

Innovation & Leadership

Research & Development

Community & Coaching

Case Study Roche InnoLab

re:Invent InnovationLAB — building the physical and cultural home for innovation at Roche IT

Product detail

  • What

    Redesign and redefinition

    Role

    InnovationLab Strategy Lead

    Output

    Strategy, pitch, redesigned space — live

    Scope

    2 sites, cross-divisional

Strategic Impact

Turning an underused room into the physical and cultural home for innovation at Roche's Global IT Solution Centre. The redesign secured funding, launched across Warsaw and Poznań, and became the space where leadership, startups, and Communities of Excellence actually met.

  • About Roche

    Roche is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, operating at global scale across research, development, and healthcare delivery. Its Global IT Solution Centre supports IT operations across the wider organisation, spanning multiple business divisions worldwide.

  • What I covered
    • Ran the listening and onboarding phase — auditing how the existing space was used, surfacing issues, and identifying the areas of improvement that shaped the brief
    • Drafted the evolving concept and strategy for the InnoLAB, then pitched it for funding across both Roche IT Solution Centre locations
    • Designed the go-to-market for the space itself — how its services would be communicated internally, and how it would function as a platform for sharing knowledge between business and startups
    • Introduced Tech Rentals — a catalogue of IoT devices available to experiment with, plus a 3D printer service open to anyone with an idea to prototype
    • Built the case for the Roche Digital InnoLAB Network — a strategy connecting Solution Centre's InnoLAB with Roche's other innovation labs, hubs, and centres globally into one cohesive innovation journey
    • Scoped the redesign for hybrid working from the outset — fewer in-person visits, more distributed teams — and validated it with stakeholders across Communications, HR, Employer Branding, and PR
    • Secured cross-functional and cross-geography buy-in, including from the Digital Roche InnoLAB Director based in Kaiseraugst & Basel
    Context

    The InnoLAB already existed as a platform for learning from the startup ecosystem and internal capability — hosting Design Thinking workshops, rapid prototyping, and team training. But the shift to hybrid work was quietly eroding what made it valuable: less travel meant less ad-hoc networking, more online-only interaction, and a waning day-to-day connection to the company and its mission. The room itself hadn't evolved to answer that.

    ​

    The strategy reframed the brief: don't just refresh a room — rebuild the connective tissue between offline and online, between Roche IT and the startup ecosystem, and between Warsaw, Poznań, and the wider Roche Digital InnoLAB Network.

    The North Star

    Every design decision was tested against one line, written for the InnovationLAB Network itself: "Co-creating a better future for patients through technology and information."

    Four commitments sat underneath it — bringing outstanding value to the business, patients, and customers; building effective partnerships with Pharma and Informatics; developing talent passionate about technology innovation; and leveraging the full potential of colleagues across both functions.

Dr. Christoph Franz

Roche Chairman

"The future of Roche depends on partnering with the 99% of ideas generated outside Roche. Connecting to startups is not a nice-to-have — it's essential to be at the forefront of innovation." — Dr. Christoph Franz, Roche Chairman

  • The redesign — a concept flexible in form and function

  • The new InnoLAB was built to transform into any shape and size, organised into distinct functional zones:

    • Team & talent — team meetings, new-talent recruitment sessions, and external working sessions in one flexible footprint
    • Being up to date — Solution Centre Town Hall meetings, an "Inno Point" for wayfinding, and a rotating exhibition of the latest startup products in the PHC domain
    • Experimentation and discovery — the home for the Tech Rentals programme and a rotating technology exhibition
    • Informal setup — informal meetings with partners, an inspiration space for ideation, and collaboration with external guests
    • Collaboration fit — training and development sessions, co-creation, and creative sessions
    • Solution Centre On-Air — an in-house studio for internal presentations from Centres of Excellence, external presenters from startups and universities, Code4Life meetups, and high-quality video and audio recording
    • In standby — a smart, energy-efficient default state when not in active use
    • asONE — a room reserved for formal and private meetings
  • Innovation lab photo

What started as a room refresh became the infrastructure for how Roche IT does innovation, community, and external engagement in one place.

Conclusion: Takeaways

The strategy didn't stay on the slide. Once the redesigned InnoLAB opened across Warsaw and Poznań, the space did what the pitch promised:

​

  • Leadership showed up. The room hosted senior leadership meetings — including with Roche's CEO — something the old space had never been credible enough to attract.
  • Startups came in. The InnoLAB became an active front door to the external ecosystem, not just a showcase for it.
  • The tech rentals got used. The 3D printers and IoT devices went from a pitch-deck line item to equipment people actually booked and picked up.
  • External partners started reserving it. Teams began treating the InnoLAB as their default venue for external partnership meetings — the "asONE" and formal meeting zones doing exactly the job they were designed for.
  • It became the CoE meeting ground. Communities of Excellence started using the space as their common ground, the outcome Szymon Redzinski had hoped for before it existed.
  • Workshops moved in permanently. Design Thinking sessions, training, and co-creation work shifted from ad hoc bookings elsewhere to a natural home in the InnoLAB.
  • It became a production space. Solution Centre On-Air went from concept to reality — marketing and communications materials were recorded on site, using the studio the redesign had built in.

Let's talk about what that could look like at your organisation. Contact me →

See all

Next project -->

Sabrina Staniewska

Research-grounded, strategy-led design.

Case Study Roche InnoLab

re:Invent InnovationLAB — building the physical and cultural home for innovation at Roche IT

Product detail

  • What

    Redesign and redefinition

    Role

    InnovationLab Strategy Lead

    Output

    Strategy, pitch, redesigned space — live

    Scope

    2 sites, cross-divisional

Strategic Impact

Turning an underused room into the physical and cultural home for innovation at Roche's Global IT Solution Centre. The redesign secured funding, launched across Warsaw and Poznań, and became the space where leadership, startups, and Communities of Excellence actually met.

  • About Roche

    Roche is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, operating at global scale across research, development, and healthcare delivery. Its Global IT Solution Centre supports IT operations across the wider organisation, spanning multiple business divisions worldwide.

  • Context

    The InnoLAB already existed as a platform for learning from the startup ecosystem and internal capability — hosting Design Thinking workshops, rapid prototyping, and team training. But the shift to hybrid work was quietly eroding what made it valuable: less travel meant less ad-hoc networking, more online-only interaction, and a waning day-to-day connection to the company and its mission. The room itself hadn't evolved to answer that.

    ​

    The strategy reframed the brief: don't just refresh a room — rebuild the connective tissue between offline and online, between Roche IT and the startup ecosystem, and between Warsaw, Poznań, and the wider Roche Digital InnoLAB Network.

    The North Star

    Every design decision was tested against one line, written for the InnovationLAB Network itself: "Co-creating a better future for patients through technology and information."

    Four commitments sat underneath it — bringing outstanding value to the business, patients, and customers; building effective partnerships with Pharma and Informatics; developing talent passionate about technology innovation; and leveraging the full potential of colleagues across both functions.

    What I covered
    • Ran the listening and onboarding phase — auditing how the existing space was used, surfacing issues, and identifying the areas of improvement that shaped the brief
    • Drafted the evolving concept and strategy for the InnoLAB, then pitched it for funding across both Roche IT Solution Centre locations
    • Designed the go-to-market for the space itself — how its services would be communicated internally, and how it would function as a platform for sharing knowledge between business and startups
    • Introduced Tech Rentals — a catalogue of IoT devices available to experiment with, plus a 3D printer service open to anyone with an idea to prototype
    • Built the case for the Roche Digital InnoLAB Network — a strategy connecting Solution Centre's InnoLAB with Roche's other innovation labs, hubs, and centres globally into one cohesive innovation journey
    • Scoped the redesign for hybrid working from the outset — fewer in-person visits, more distributed teams — and validated it with stakeholders across Communications, HR, Employer Branding, and PR
    • Secured cross-functional and cross-geography buy-in, including from the Digital Roche InnoLAB Director based in Kaiseraugst & Basel

Dr. Christoph Franz

Roche Chairman

"The future of Roche depends on partnering with the 99% of ideas generated outside Roche. Connecting to startups is not a nice-to-have — it's essential to be at the forefront of innovation." — Dr. Christoph Franz, Roche Chairman

  • The redesign — a concept flexible in form and function

  • The new InnoLAB was built to transform into any shape and size, organised into distinct functional zones:

    • Team & talent — team meetings, new-talent recruitment sessions, and external working sessions in one flexible footprint
    • Being up to date — Solution Centre Town Hall meetings, an "Inno Point" for wayfinding, and a rotating exhibition of the latest startup products in the PHC domain
    • Experimentation and discovery — the home for the Tech Rentals programme and a rotating technology exhibition
    • Informal setup — informal meetings with partners, an inspiration space for ideation, and collaboration with external guests
    • Collaboration fit — training and development sessions, co-creation, and creative sessions
    • Solution Centre On-Air — an in-house studio for internal presentations from Centres of Excellence, external presenters from startups and universities, Code4Life meetups, and high-quality video and audio recording
    • In standby — a smart, energy-efficient default state when not in active use
    • asONE — a room reserved for formal and private meetings
  • Innovation lab photo

What started as a room refresh became the infrastructure for how Roche IT does innovation, community, and external engagement in one place.

Conclusion: Takeaways

The strategy didn't stay on the slide. Once the redesigned InnoLAB opened across Warsaw and Poznań, the space did what the pitch promised:

​

  • Leadership showed up. The room hosted senior leadership meetings — including with Roche's CEO — something the old space had never been credible enough to attract.
  • Startups came in. The InnoLAB became an active front door to the external ecosystem, not just a showcase for it.
  • The tech rentals got used. The 3D printers and IoT devices went from a pitch-deck line item to equipment people actually booked and picked up.
  • External partners started reserving it. Teams began treating the InnoLAB as their default venue for external partnership meetings — the "asONE" and formal meeting zones doing exactly the job they were designed for.
  • It became the CoE meeting ground. Communities of Excellence started using the space as their common ground, the outcome Szymon Redzinski had hoped for before it existed.
  • Workshops moved in permanently. Design Thinking sessions, training, and co-creation work shifted from ad hoc bookings elsewhere to a natural home in the InnoLAB.
  • It became a production space. Solution Centre On-Air went from concept to reality — marketing and communications materials were recorded on site, using the studio the redesign had built in.

Let's talk about what that could look like at your organisation. Contact me →

See all

Next project -->

Sabrina Staniewska

Research-grounded, strategy-led design.

Case Study Roche InnoLab

re:Invent InnovationLAB — building the physical and cultural home for innovation at Roche IT

Product detail

  • What

    Redesign and redefinition

    Role

    InnovationLab Strategy Lead

    Output

    Strategy, pitch, redesigned space — live

    Scope

    2 sites, cross-divisional

Strategic Impact

Turning an underused room into the physical and cultural home for innovation at Roche's Global IT Solution Centre. The redesign secured funding, launched across Warsaw and Poznań, and became the space where leadership, startups, and Communities of Excellence actually met.

  • About Roche

    Roche is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, operating at global scale across research, development, and healthcare delivery. Its Global IT Solution Centre supports IT operations across the wider organisation, spanning multiple business divisions worldwide.

  • Context

    The InnoLAB already existed as a platform for learning from the startup ecosystem and internal capability — hosting Design Thinking workshops, rapid prototyping, and team training. But the shift to hybrid work was quietly eroding what made it valuable: less travel meant less ad-hoc networking, more online-only interaction, and a waning day-to-day connection to the company and its mission. The room itself hadn't evolved to answer that.

    ​

    The strategy reframed the brief: don't just refresh a room — rebuild the connective tissue between offline and online, between Roche IT and the startup ecosystem, and between Warsaw, Poznań, and the wider Roche Digital InnoLAB Network.

    The North Star

    Every design decision was tested against one line, written for the InnovationLAB Network itself: "Co-creating a better future for patients through technology and information."

    Four commitments sat underneath it — bringing outstanding value to the business, patients, and customers; building effective partnerships with Pharma and Informatics; developing talent passionate about technology innovation; and leveraging the full potential of colleagues across both functions.

    What I covered
    • Ran the listening and onboarding phase — auditing how the existing space was used, surfacing issues, and identifying the areas of improvement that shaped the brief
    • Drafted the evolving concept and strategy for the InnoLAB, then pitched it for funding across both Roche IT Solution Centre locations
    • Designed the go-to-market for the space itself — how its services would be communicated internally, and how it would function as a platform for sharing knowledge between business and startups
    • Introduced Tech Rentals — a catalogue of IoT devices available to experiment with, plus a 3D printer service open to anyone with an idea to prototype
    • Built the case for the Roche Digital InnoLAB Network — a strategy connecting Solution Centre's InnoLAB with Roche's other innovation labs, hubs, and centres globally into one cohesive innovation journey
    • Scoped the redesign for hybrid working from the outset — fewer in-person visits, more distributed teams — and validated it with stakeholders across Communications, HR, Employer Branding, and PR
    • Secured cross-functional and cross-geography buy-in, including from the Digital Roche InnoLAB Director based in Kaiseraugst & Basel

Dr. Christoph Franz

Roche Chairman

"The future of Roche depends on partnering with the 99% of ideas generated outside Roche. Connecting to startups is not a nice-to-have — it's essential to be at the forefront of innovation." — Dr. Christoph Franz, Roche Chairman

  • The redesign — a concept flexible in form and function

  • The new InnoLAB was built to transform into any shape and size, organised into distinct functional zones:

    • Team & talent — team meetings, new-talent recruitment sessions, and external working sessions in one flexible footprint
    • Being up to date — Solution Centre Town Hall meetings, an "Inno Point" for wayfinding, and a rotating exhibition of the latest startup products in the PHC domain
    • Experimentation and discovery — the home for the Tech Rentals programme and a rotating technology exhibition
    • Informal setup — informal meetings with partners, an inspiration space for ideation, and collaboration with external guests
    • Collaboration fit — training and development sessions, co-creation, and creative sessions
    • Solution Centre On-Air — an in-house studio for internal presentations from Centres of Excellence, external presenters from startups and universities, Code4Life meetups, and high-quality video and audio recording
    • In standby — a smart, energy-efficient default state when not in active use
    • asONE — a room reserved for formal and private meetings
  • Innovation lab photo

What started as a room refresh became the infrastructure for how Roche IT does innovation, community, and external engagement in one place.

Conclusion: Takeaways

The strategy didn't stay on the slide. Once the redesigned InnoLAB opened across Warsaw and Poznań, the space did what the pitch promised:

​

  • Leadership showed up. The room hosted senior leadership meetings — including with Roche's CEO — something the old space had never been credible enough to attract.
  • Startups came in. The InnoLAB became an active front door to the external ecosystem, not just a showcase for it.
  • The tech rentals got used. The 3D printers and IoT devices went from a pitch-deck line item to equipment people actually booked and picked up.
  • External partners started reserving it. Teams began treating the InnoLAB as their default venue for external partnership meetings — the "asONE" and formal meeting zones doing exactly the job they were designed for.
  • It became the CoE meeting ground. Communities of Excellence started using the space as their common ground, the outcome Szymon Redzinski had hoped for before it existed.
  • Workshops moved in permanently. Design Thinking sessions, training, and co-creation work shifted from ad hoc bookings elsewhere to a natural home in the InnoLAB.
  • It became a production space. Solution Centre On-Air went from concept to reality — marketing and communications materials were recorded on site, using the studio the redesign had built in.

Let's talk about what that could look like at your organisation. Contact me →

See all

Next project -->