Merck Relaunches Customer Collaboration Centers with New Concept and M Lab™ Name

• State-of-the-art laboratories for full end-to-end process development support and training
• Enables explorations of new technologies and solutions to address development and manufacturing challenges
• Dynamic settings in major pharmaceutical and biotechnology hubs promote customer collaboration from pre-clinical through full-scale production

Darmstadt, Germany, July 18, 2016 — Merck, a leading science and technology company, is relaunching its global network of customer collaboration centers, providing customers a shared, exploratory environment with scientists and engineers working to solve their toughest biomanufacturing challenges and helping accelerate development of new therapies.

Formerly known as biomanufacturing science training centers, the new state-of-the art M Lab™ Collaboration Centers provide a simulated manufacturing environment for experiments, troubleshooting and problem solving, in a non-GMP setting, that fosters education and full end-to-end process development support. Customers participate in product demonstrations, hands-on training and proof-of-concept work, as well as apply best practices and new approaches to develop, optimize and scale-up processes and simplify global technology transfer.

“These centers have been an important resource for our customers and the biopharma industry for more than two decades,” said Udit Batra, Member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. “Now reimagined and reengineered as M Lab™ Collaboration Centers, we have taken our industry-leading concept to the next level. We are creating unique and inspiring settings where customers can explore new ways to increase productivity and improve processes in close collaboration with our team of experts.”

Merck unveiled its first remodeled center in Tokyo, Japan on June 29, 2016. The network, established in 1995, will also include locations in Brazil, China, France, India, Singapore, South Korea and the United States with formal relaunch of centers around the world taking place throughout the remainder of 2016 and 2017.

Each M Lab™ Collaboration Center will welcome customers and collaboration partners from government, academia, regulatory bodies and industry associations, offering application best practices and knowledge sharing tailored to address the specific needs of the local pharmaceutical manufacturers. Customers will have access to sizing and simulation tools and methodologies as well as analytical and modeling support and customer education programs.

Click here to learn more about the M Lab™ Collaboration Centers and view videos of Merck’s facilities.

About Merck
Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2015, Merck generated sales of € 12.85 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. The company holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.