Biopharma company Merck said Thursday it is looking for 18 startups for its accelerator program in Darmstadt, Germany, and Shanghai, China.

This round of participants will focus on four fields of research: biosensing and interfaces; liquid biopsy technologies; clean meat; and artificial intelligence-enabled health solutions.

Merck will have 12 startups for its global headquarters in Darmstadt and six for the China Innovation Hub in Shanghai. 

It has hosted 57 startups since the accelerator program’s first intake in 2015. About 90 percent of the completing startups continue collaboration with Merck, the company said.

 

At “2019 European Global Enterprise Open Innovation with Korea,” held Thursday by KOTRA and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development, Merck Korea Managing Director Glenn Young reiterated Merck’s vision for joint innovation.

"We believe in the high innovative potential Korean startups have," Young said, "We want to encourage (the Korean startups) to use the opportunity the Merck Accelerator is bringing them, to collaborate with a leading science and technology company like Merck."

Merck’s accelerator program will take place from mid-January to April 2020. Applications are due on Aug. 25.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)