Are you a postgraduate student in the life sciences field working towards a PhD in biology, medicine, biotech, bioinformatics, computer science, data science, biochemistry, chemistry, pharmacy, engineering or related fields? Or are you an advanced MBA student or a recent MBA graduate with an interest in the pharmaceutical business and a background in life sciences? If so, you may want to consider applying for the Merck Group Innovation Cup.

The Innovation Cup is an opportunity for the brightest students from all over the world to meet at the company headquarters in Germany to learn from professionals, network, develop business plans and win the €20,000 Innovation Cup. As a participant in the Innovation Cup, you will get a chance to work in teams to develop new innovative ideas for unmet medical needs, build a business case with support from experienced professionals, and network with top students from around the world.

The Merck Group is offering shared prizes of €20,000 for the winning team, €5,000 for the runner-up and €3,000 for third place. Selected top-performing participants could even get an offer for permanent employment. To make things even more interesting, options to implement the best business plans will be evaluated.

If selected, you will join a week-long summer camp to work together in a highly stimulating environment, evaluate your ideas from a technical and business perspective, learn the essentials of R&D within the pharmaceutical industry, and get to know Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. Your travel, accommodation, and food expenses will be covered by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Applications are open until January 31, 2024. If you are interested and qualified, head over to the Merck Foundation website to apply. Please note that this programme is not open to healthcare professionals.