Merck Biopharma Innovation Cup 2017

Merck, a leading science and technology company, announced the winners of its seventh Biopharma Innovation Cup. The winning team received €20,000 for its innovative idea around the role of Natural Killer (NK) cells in cancer immunology. The Biopharma Innovation Cup is designed to support the professional development of post-graduate students and to foster innovation from a promising new generation of academic talent. It showcases Merck's deep commitment to leverage innovation, curiosity and collaboration. With more than 1,400 applications from 60 countries, this year's Biopharma Innovation Cup achieved a new record of popularity. Thirty-three participants worked hand in hand with experienced Merck researchers and managers in the biopharma field on developing business plans. For 6 days, bright minds came together at the Innovation Camp near Frankfurt, Germany, and jointly developed novel ideas into innovative project plans for drug discovery.

The winning team "Immuno-Oncology" inspired the audience with their outstanding project proposal on how to translate NK cell biology into a drug discovery project.

The team consisted of:

• Alex Kertser (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)
• Franklin Zhong (A*STAR, Singapore)
• Kelly Moynihan (MIT, USA)
• Patrik Andersson (Karolinska Institute, Sweden)
• Simone Mori (The Scripps Research Institute, USA)
• Arne Sutter (team coach)

As runner-up receiving €5,000, the team "Medicinal Chemistry" was chosen with an innovative proposal on DNA-encoded libraries.

The team consisted of:

• Adam McCallum (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
• Anna Rydzik (LMU Munich, Germany)
• Josua Jordi (Harvard, USA)
• Rüdiger Borrmann (ETH Zürich, Switzerland)
• Wilian Cortopassi (UCSF, USA)
• Henning Böttcher (team coach)

The initiative has won several innovation awards over the years, including the Edison Award 2017, Stevie Gold Award 2017, German Industry Innovation Award 2015 and the German Idea Award 2014. More detailed information on the Biopharma Innovation Cup can be found at Biopharma Open Innovation Portal.

"The Biopharma Innovation Cup is getting increasingly popular at innovation hotspots all over the world from year to year. We are happy to offer young talents this development opportunity," said Dr Ulrich Betz, Vice President of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Incubator at the Healthcare business of Merck and initiator and manager of the Innovation Cup.

On the occasion of their 350th anniversary in 2018, Merck will conduct a special anniversary edition of the Innovation Cup, covering topics in Life Science and Performance Materials in addition to Healthcare. Applications to participate in the 2018 edition of the cup can be submitted starting October 01, 2017.