Last week I had the opportunity to get a rare behind the scenes tour of three of Eli Lilly’s (NYSE: LLY) research laboratories — Alzheimer’s Disease (in vivo), Advanced Analytics (in silico), and Automated Synthesis (in vitro), as well as sit in on the company’s investment community update meeting. Having worked in pharma for 17 years, with numerous trips to the corporate headquarters of Mead Johnson Nutritional (NYSE: MJN) in Evansville, IN, and Organon Pharmaceuticals in Roseland, NJ (prior to being acquired by Schering-Plough), I thought I was well prepared for what to expect. However, the size of a top 10 Big Pharma company’s home office is extremely impressive. For example, the Lilly campus includes a credit union, exercise and healthcare facilities, and a full-size soccer field. But more impressive than the facilities are the 10,000+ people who work within the four walls of the complex — and their willingness to rewrite the rules of drug R&D.