Merck China Accelerator Launches Fourth Cohort Recruitment: Who Will Secure One of the 12 Spots?
“Technology Changes the World”—this seemingly clichéd phrase remains the dominant theme of today’s development.
The essence of technological development lies in innovation. In recent years, numerous industrial parks have been established across China, while local governments have taken the lead in setting up industry funds to support the growth of innovative enterprises from two perspectives: facilitating business establishment and providing capital assistance. Specifically, in the healthcare sector, digital technologies are being extensively applied across all aspects of the industry. From development to clinical practice, and from operations to promotion, the deep integration of technology with the medical industry is driving innovation and sustaining continuous industrial transformation.
Amid this ongoing and long-term industrial transformation, international giants are maintaining an open mindset, leveraging their accumulated experience and resources within the industry to extensively connect, collaborate, and implement projects with startups. Innovation centers have become a vital conduit linking these international giants with domestic startups.
Major technology giants are breaking through from this perspective. For instance, Microsoft Accelerator and AIoT Lab, Amazon’s AWS Joint Innovation Center, AstraZeneca’s I-Campus, and Johnson & Johnson’s JLABS are all built on the foundation of open innovation. By embracing the philosophy of open collaboration, these initiatives facilitate communication, exchange, and cooperation between tech giants and innovative enterprises.
What we wish to discuss today is a quintessential case in this field: the Merck China Innovation Center, and its bridge for direct engagement with innovative enterprises—the Merck China Accelerator.
As a globally leading technology company, scientific exploration and responsible corporate spirit have always been the keys to Merck’s technological progress, as well as the secret to its enduring vitality since 1668. Therefore, Merck has always maintained a clear understanding of the importance of innovation and closely monitored the development of innovative technologies. Merck’s three business sectors—Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics—are all typical technology-driven high-tech industries, with a continuous stream of innovative technologies emerging in recent years. This is why Merck places increasing emphasis on expanding its presence in the Chinese market.
Over the past few years, the Chinese market has evolved into a fertile ground for innovation, even taking a global lead in certain cutting-edge fields. Recognizing this trend with foresight, Merck announced in February 2018 the establishment of a dedicated team to build an innovation network and launch innovative projects in China. The Merck China Innovation Center remains committed to maintaining close ties with partners within China’s innovation ecosystem, seeking out, incubating, and investing in innovative projects both within and beyond Merck’s existing business portfolio, thereby delivering new solutions for the Chinese market and Merck’s global operations.
In October 2019, the Merck China Innovation Center in Shanghai was officially inaugurated; in November, the Merck Guangdong Innovation Center also commenced operations. These two innovation centers have become key nodes connecting Merck with innovative enterprises in China, serving as major hubs. Over the past three years, Merck’s innovation centers have driven the development of China’s technological innovation industry through a series of project collaborations, investments, and ecosystem-building activities.
In terms of capitalIn 2019, coinciding with the opening of the Merck China Innovation Center, Merck officially announced the establishment of a RMB 100 million seed fund in China, to be jointly managed and utilized by M Ventures and the Merck China Innovation Center.
In Terms of CollaborationIn addition to collaborating with startups, the Merck China Innovation Center actively establishes partnerships with investment firms, local governments, and industrial parks to jointly empower technological innovation. For instance, the Merck China Innovation Center has sparked synergies with BV Baidu Ventures, another innovation-driven institution, by signing a strategic innovation cooperation agreement to co-create an innovation ecosystem. Meanwhile, the Merck Shanghai Innovation Base has been established in Zhangjiang, partnering with the Shanghai Zhangjiang Group, which has consistently remained at the forefront of innovation in China. By leveraging their respective industry strengths, they jointly support the development and implementation of innovative projects in China.
Standing at the intersection of capital and collaboration, the Merck China Accelerator is undoubtedly the flagship program of the Merck Innovation Center.Since 2018, Merck China Innovation Center has successfully held three cohorts of its accelerator program.Companies Selected for the Merck China Accelerator: Gaining More Than Just Funding and Recognition from a Tech Giant—The Greater Prize Is In-Depth Engagement with Merck to Explore Potential Collaboration Opportunities
Most alumni companies of the Merck China Accelerator that have already graduated have achieved better development after participating in the program. Among the 18 companies, six announced that they had completed a new round of financing after joining the accelerator.
Some alumni companies of the Merck China Accelerator have even risen to the forefront of their respective niches, evolving from startups to industry leaders. Bluepha, a player in the field of synthetic biology, secured RMB 200 million in Series B financing led by Hillhouse Capital in February 2021, and has already emerged as a notable contender in the realm of novel bio-based molecules and materials. Another alumni company, Xingyao Tech, also achieved impressive financing results in 2020. Its independently developed AI-driven drug discovery platform is dedicated to helping drug R&D scientists significantly reduce the time and costs associated with drug development, while providing comprehensive patent protection coverage for the drugs under development.
Merck also maintains long-term connections with accelerator alumni companies, continuously monitoring their developments to identify potential collaboration opportunities. For instance, MoonBiome, an alumni company from the second cohort of the Merck Accelerator, entered into a pilot collaboration with the Merck China Innovation Center in December 2020 on the “commercialization of microbiome culturomics technologies,” advancing research and applications of the human gut microbiome worldwide. Furthermore, within the Merck Accelerator alumni network, collaborations between portfolio companies have also been observed.
The fourth cohort of the Merck China Accelerator is now open for applications.Given the multifaceted nature of Merck’s own business operations, the focus areas of the Merck China Accelerator extend beyond Merck’s three core business sectors—Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics—to include emerging niche fields such as AI-enabled health solutions, bioelectronics, cultured meat, and organoids. As a window for Merck’s external collaborative innovation, the Merck China Accelerator is committed to building upon Merck’s foundational businesses while continuously seeking new external opportunities that will redefine the industry in the future.
Having accumulated experience from previous editions, the Merck China Accelerator’s collaboration with startups has gradually entered deeper waters, adopting a fresh approach to explore more in-depth partnership opportunities. To achieve this goal, the Merck China Accelerator implemented several key changes in 2021:
1. Enhanced Resource Alignment:Startups are always eager for resources. Therefore, in the fourth cohort of its accelerator program, the Merck China Innovation Center will offer more comprehensive resource matchmaking for startups. This includes not only deeper integration of Merck’s internal resources but also an enhanced diversity of external innovation ecosystem resources.
2. Enhancement of Course Richness:Companies selected for the Merck China Accelerator in previous years have received customized training courses and guidance from both internal and external mentors. Building on feedback from alumni companies, the curriculum designed for the fourth cohort of the accelerator will further enhance both depth and breadth compared to previous editions. Merck aims to organically integrate these industry insights with the cutting-edge technologies of startups, ultimately achieving collaborative innovation.
3. Format Changes:The third change is essentially an extension of the first two. Due to the expansion of accelerator offerings, including increased resource matchmaking and a more diverse range of customized courses, the original three-month duration was insufficient to cover all content. Therefore, the program duration for the fourth cohort of the accelerator was extended from 3–4 months to six months. This allows selected startups to engage more comprehensively with Merck, facilitating in-depth discussions and the implementation of collaborative projects. Additionally, the fourth cohort opened up more slots, expanding the number of participating companies from the original six to 10–12.
Of course, the ultimate goal of all these upgrades is to enable selected startups to discuss and implement project collaborations with Merck’s global experts during the accelerator program, while simultaneously empowering their growth and accelerating industrialization.
Click the link to learn more about the Merck China Accelerator.
Application Time
February 22, 2021–April 22, 2021
Financing Round Requirements
Seed to Series A
Project Launch / Location
June 2021/Shanghai and China
Registration Link
Key Focus Areas of Merck China Accelerator
Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare, Life Sciences, Electronic Technology, AI-Enabled Health Solutions, Bioelectronics, Cultivated Meat, Liquid Biopsy Technology, Organoids, Neuromorphic Systems
Benefits of Being Selected for the Merck China Accelerator
Funding Support:Access up to €50,000 in funding support and additional investment opportunities
Project Collaboration:Engage with Merck China’s local network, establish connections with diverse partners, and conduct in-depth discussions on collaboration opportunities
Innovation Space:Shared innovation office space with the Merck China Innovation Center (Shanghai, Guangzhou), with the opportunity to be stationed at the Merck Shanghai Innovation Hub
Innovation Ecosystem:Join the world’s most dynamic startup ecosystem, visit Merck’s diverse business operations in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Beijing, and further connect with Merck’s robust external innovation ecosystem and partner network, including government entities, investment institutions, and other large enterprises.
Alumni Network:Join the Merck Global Startup Alumni Network to Build Partnerships and Expand Your Business
Event Participation:Participate in the industry’s most influential events alongside Merck to increase exposure and enhance visibility among investors and other business partners.
Customized Courses:Benefiting from customized coaching and workshops provided by Merck’s internal experts and external innovation resources, and fostering joint innovation with Merck’s internal experts and external mentors through collaborative projects.
Registration is now fully open, and selection results will be notified via email in May 2021.
Registration Link: www.merckaccelerator.com
In 2021, there was only one opportunity to collaborate deeply with Merck on innovation, and it is reaching out to you.