Applications are open for the Merck Research Grant Program 2021. Merck is offering a series of research grants to stimulate innovative research in challenging areas of future importance.
Grants of 40,000-450,000 EUR/ year for up to 3 years with an option to extend are available in the following areas:
- Drug Discovery: Inviting proposals to identify and characterize the next game-changing molecule or technology to help cure cancer or autoimmune disease.
- Real time testing and sensors: They are seeking research proposals that can substantially advance the state-of-the-art of in-line or at-line monitoring during the production of biopharmaceuticals with the ultimate goal being real-time release.
- Nanoparticle for nucleic acid delivery: They seek new technologies and approaches for novel inventive delivery vehicles and formulations, routes of delivery, and targeting strategies.
- Digital Innovation: Merck Research Grants for Digital Innovation leveraging technological solutions such as digital pathology image analysis for advanced cell simulation, Big Data and X-Omics pipelines for single-cell RNASeQ Analysis and other applications of AI in R&D.
- Bioelectronics: The Bioelectronics program aims to develop new medical devices for chronic indications with high unmet medical need.
- Sustainability: Merck is on a journey to develop and provide more sustainable solutions to guarantee future success and create lasting value for society. They focus on four key aspects: circular economy, digitizing sustainability, responsible & new resources and new bio routes to achieve sustainability in their own processes and enable their customers and stakeholders in theirs. Proposals shall target at least one of the above-mentioned key aspects and consider the social, environmental and economic facet of sustainability by proposing new sustainable products, technologies, sources, processes and business models.
- Media recycling for cultured meat: Proposals should address conceptual design, deployment strategy, equipment for low cost and efficient industrial scale cell culture media recycling systems that will promote efficient usage of nutrients and removal of toxic / growth inhibiting metabolites.
- Organoids: They will provide funding for innovative research projects of 3D cell culture solutions in the field of organoids with a focus on personalized medicine and pre-clinical drug discovery.
Grant
- Drug Discovery: 3 grants comprising €350,000/year for 3 years with the option of extension.
- Real time testing and sensors: grant comprising between 100,000 – $500,000/year for 2 years with the option of extension.
- Nanoparticle for nucleic acid delivery: grant comprising between $100,000 – $300,000/year for 2 years with the option of extension.
- Digital Innovation: 3 grants comprising €40,000 – €100,000 for 1 year with the option of extension.
- Bioelectronics – grant comprising €150,000/year for 3 years.
- Sustainability – grant/s to be negotiated on a case by case basis.
- Media recycling for cultured meat – grant/s to be negotiated on a case by case basis.
- Organoids – grant/s to be negotiated on a case by case basis.
Eligibility
- Open to scientists in all career stages who are affiliated with any research-based institution, university or company.
- Applicants submit their application for the focus topics containing non-confidential information only.
- You may apply for more than one grant or submit your application for more than one focus topic.
Application
If your application is successful, you are invited to submit a full proposal under confidentiality and join a deep-dive workshop with the other finalists. All applicants will be informed about the decision of the selection committee at the beginning of October.
The deep-dive workshops will take place in November and December 2021. Finalists will work together with Merck managers and scientists to jointly optimize submitted project proposals. The culmination of the deep-dive workshops will be the selection of the research grant winners.
For more information, visit Merck Grants.
