Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany Celebrates 125 Years in the U.S. with Launch of “Smarter, Together” Initiative

June 3, 2015 | By Business Wire News

BILLERICA, Mass. & ROCKLAND, Mass. & PHILADELPHIA

The year 2015 marks a major milestone for Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading company for innovative and top-quality, high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance materials, as the company celebrates 125 years of significant contributions to scientific history in the United States.

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Front Row – Left to Right: Luiz Vieira, President and Managing Director of EMD Performance Material; Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts; Stefan Oschmann, Vice Chairman of the Executive Board and Deputy CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany; Udit Batra, President and CEO, EMD Millipore; Missy Sherburne, Chief Partnerships Officer DonorsChoose.org; Bob Gilmore, President and Science Teacher, Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers; Paris Panayiotopoulos, President and Managing Director; Darren Verlenden, Head of Global Key Accounts at EMD Millipore. Back Row – Left to Right: Luciano Rossetti, Global Head of R&D; Klaus-Reinhard Bischoff, Head of Lab Americas; Mike Trasatti, Head of Sales – Process Solutions at EMD Millipore; Warren Stone, Head of Sales North America (Photo: Business Wire)

Insatiable curiosity and the drive to expand into a new and growing market brought Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, to the U.S. in 1887 and led Georg Merck to establish a U.S. footprint in 1890. To honor his legacy, and 125 years of doing business in the U.S., the company is launching an initiative, “Smarter, Together.” The goal of “Smarter, Together” is to drive the passion and curiosity of scientists and engineers around the world, as well as foster the inquisitive nature of the younger generation as they work toward becoming the next wave of great thinkers.

“For 125 years in the U.S.—and nearly 350 years in Germany—our relentless questioning has opened doors to great discoveries made together,” said Stefan Oschmann, Vice Chairman of the Executive Board and Deputy CEO of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, at the official launch of the “Smarter, Together” initiative at the Museum of Science, Boston last night. “This year, we celebrate our company’s role in helping to answer some of science’s greatest questions, and we look forward to instilling that same, insistent curiosity as our future legacy.”

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, who also spoke at the event, added: “The future of scientific discovery begins with creating lifelong learners with a passion for asking questions. The “Smarter, Together” in the Classroom program brings generations together in a true spirit of Massachusetts collaboration. I can’t wait to see what unfolds.”

Also present at the event was best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell’s unflagging curiosity has made him one of the most popular writers and journalists of our day. He has built his career on relentless questioning in the pursuit of new angles on important social issues. During his remarks, he noted, “We talk a lot about the resources necessary for making something great, but we don’t talk about the magic that makes those resources come to life. That magic is curiosity.”

One hundred and twenty-five years after its beginnings in the U.S. market, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, employs more than 5,000 people across the country and operates in three business segments: EMD Millipore (Life Science), EMD Serono (Healthcare) and EMD Performance Materials (consumer electronics, pigments, technologies). Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, has made significant investments in these three growing markets in the U.S. The Group generated around € 2.2 billion ($2.4 billion) in annual sales in North America last year – almost a fifth of the global company’s total sales.

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, remains committed to further expanding its U.S. presence. With the acquisition of AZ Electronic Materials last year, the company has doubled its Performance Materials footprint in the U.S. and added some of the major U.S. semiconductor players to its mainly Asian customer base. In September 2014, the company announced the $17 billion acquisition of St. Louis-based life science company Sigma-Aldrich, which is pending regulatory approvals. In November 2014, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, formed a global strategic alliance with Pfizer to jointly develop and commercialize avelumab, an investigational anti-PD-L1 monoclonal antibody, to accelerate the development of immuno-oncology medicines for patients with multiple types of cancer. As part of the agreement with Pfizer, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s U.S. biopharmaceutical subsidiary, EMD Serono, has also started a co-promote with Pfizer in the therapeutic area of oncology to build its U.S. presence.

As evident by the partnerships Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has forged over the years, the company is committed to advancing science through collaboration. The “Smarter, Together” initiative will take this collaboration to the next level, using educational and thought leadership activities to spark scientists and students alike to engage in discussions and work toward solutions to the toughest scientific problems and major global challenges.

“We firmly believe the culture of collaborative discovery and the ability to think in generations, not quarters, is critical to making tomorrow’s breakthroughs,” said Oschmann.

“Smarter, Together” in the Classroom
One element of the company’s celebratory initiative is “Smarter, Together” in the Classroom, a program that provides public school classrooms across Massachusetts with funding for projects to explore their most pressing, scientific questions. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is committing $125,000 to support the state-based effort, in partnership with DonorsChoose and the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers, and plans to expand the program nationally in 2016. In addition to providing funding, the company’s scientists will offer their time, acting as advisors for students and faculty. Teachers can submit project ideas for funding starting June 10, 2015.

To learn more about the “Smarter, Together” initiative, and how the power of curiosity has driven scientific discovery at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, visit www.125YearsSmarterTogether.com.

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About EMD Serono
EMD Serono, the U.S. biopharmaceutical business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading U.S. biopharma company focused exclusively on specialty care. For more than 40 years, EMD Serono has integrated cutting-edge science, innovative products and devices, and industry-leading patient support and access programs. EMD Serono has deep expertise in neurology, fertility and endocrinology, as well as a robust pipeline of potential therapies in neurology, oncology, immunology and immuno-oncology. Today, EMD Serono has more than 1,100 employees around the country with commercial, clinical and research operations based in the company’s home state of Massachusetts.

About EMD Millipore
EMD Millipore is the U.S. Life Science subsidiary of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. As part of the global Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, EMD Millipore offers a broad range of innovative, performance products, services and business relationships that enable our customers’ success in research, development and production of biotech and pharmaceutical drug therapies. Through dedicated collaboration on new scientific and engineering insights, and as one of the top three R&D investors in the life science tools industry, the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, serves as a strategic partner to customers and helps advance the promise of life science. Headquartered in Billerica, Massachusetts, the global business has around 10,000 employees, operations in 66 countries and 2014 revenues of €2.7 billion.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany, is a leading company for innovative and top-quality high-tech products in healthcare, life science and performance materials. The company has six businesses—Biopharmaceuticals, Consumer Health, Allergopharma, Biosimilars, Life Science Tools and Performance Materials—and generated total revenues of € 11.1 billion in 2013. Around 39,000 employees work in 66 countries to improve the quality of life for patients, to foster the success of customers and to help meet global challenges. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company—since 1668, the company has stood for innovation, business success and responsible entrepreneurship. Holding an approximately 70% interest, the founding family remains the majority owner of the company to this day. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are Canada and the United States, where the company operates as EMD Serono, EMD Millipore and EMD Performance Materials.