Description
In 2022, Merck is offering a series of research grants to stimulate innovative research in challenging areas of future importance.
This call for research proposals is looking to advance the field of drug discovery with projects that can identify and characterise the next game-changing molecule to help cure cancer, autoimmune / neuroinflammatory disease or infertility. In addition, approaches interfering with the molecular hallmarks of aging to promote healthy longevity are of interest.
- Opportunity: 3 grants comprising up to 500,000 €/year for 3 years with the option of extension.
- Deadline: Submission deadline is 31 August 2022.
- Application: submit your proposal here.
Your proposal should address one of the following:
- Cancer/Autoimmune Targets/Infertility: Which molecular targets or pathophysiological pathways have tremendous untapped potential to deliver the next big therapeutic breakthrough?
- Enabling Technologies: What are new enabling technologies for drug discovery? How can molecular strategies for tissue-targeting and tissue-sparing look like?
- Translation: How can translation from and predictivity of preclinical models to the clinical situation be enhanced and how can quantitative methods enable this?
- Senescence and Anti-Aging: How can our evolving understanding of senescence and age-related changes be translated into new drug discovery approaches for cancer, autoimmunity, neuroinflammation, infertility, pandemic preparedness and anti-aging?
In the first stage of the Research Grants applications process, applicants submit their application containing non-confidential information only. You may apply for more than one grant or submit your application for more than one category. If your application is successful, you are invited to submit a full proposal under confidentiality and join a deep-dive workshop. All applicants are informed about the decision of the selection committee.
The second stage of the Research Grant process is a collaborative step, the deep-dive workshop. Finalists submit their full proposals and then work together with Merck managers and scientists to jointly optimize submitted project proposals. All teams reaching this stage will be informed in October. The deep-dive workshops will take place in November 2022. The culmination of the deep-dive workshops will be the selection of the research grant winners.
The third stage of the Research Grants process is the Research Grant funding phase. To enable pay-out and project start, Merck enters into bilateral collaboration agreements with the winning recipients. Merck's collaborative Research Grants are a unique opportunity for researchers who are interested in working with the company‘s scientists and receive guidance from industry. During the Research Grant funging period, there will therefore be regular meetings with Merck scientists.
You can know more about this opportunity on the Merck's 2022 Research Grants page.