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Anniversary Edition

Innovation Cup

The brightest students from all over the world meet for a week at company headquarters. Learn from professionals, network, develop a business plan, and win a €20,000 team prize!

Anniversary Cup 2018

In 2018, we celebrated our 350th anniversary at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. On this occasion, we conducted a special expanded anniversary edition of the Innovation Cup with 75 participants in Darmstadt(July 16-24, 2018). This Innovation Cup covered not only the field of healthcare, but also life science and performance materials, digitalisation, new ways of working together/building a better world.

As part of the Innovation Cup, participants attended the Curious2018 Future Insight Conference.

Following the Curious2018 Future Insight conference, participants joined the Innovation Cup boot camp where they worked together in small teams in a highly stimulating environment. Convincing business plans were developed under the guidance of executives and team coaches, considering both technical and business perspectives.

A jury, consisting of top scientists and entrepreneurs, selected the best business plan in each of the five focus fields and awarded each winning team with EUR 5.000. From these, the jury selected the overall winner of the Anniversary Cup 2018 with a prize of EUR 20.000.

Grand final

The Innovation Cup 2018 grand final took place on July 24th, 2018, where all teams pitched their business plans.

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"The Innovation Cup really hit the ideal balance between education (for the students) and implementation (generating ideas for the company and others). The Innovation Cup was an excellent opportunity to network, learn, and grow as a scientist. Thank you so much."

"Learn from some of the brightest minds in industry and academia. "


Anniversary Innovation Cup Participant 2018

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At the boot camp

In 2018, we celebrated our 350th anniversary. On this occasion, we conducted a special anniversary edition of the Innovation Cup with 75 participants in Darmstadt, Germany. This Innovation Cup covered not only the field of Healthcare, but also Life Science and Performance Materials.

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Boot camp team event

Boot camp participants giving their best at the team building event - practice taking aim at the goal.

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Waiting for the start

Audience and participants in front of the Putzer tower at our site in Darmstadt, Germany, where the grand finals took place.

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Grand final event

Introduction to the anniversary innovation cup and this year's teams

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On stage presentation

The 2018 winning team on stage presenting their business plan to the audience.

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Poster presentation

Participant teams presented their work on digital presentation walls at the grand jury event.

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Our finalists

All winning teams of the 5 focus areas on stage for a group picture. Healthy Lives, Materials & Solutions, Life Reimagined, Vibrant Digital and Bright Future category winners pitched their business plans at the grand jury event.

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Winning the Anniversary Innovation Cup 2018

The winning team of the Anniversary Innovation Cup 2018 (l.t.r.): Stephan Lammel (team coach), Lorillee Tallorin, Arne Wehling, Belen Garijo (Member of the executive board of Merck), Michael Ogden, Sebald Verkuijl, Lian Zhu, Ulrich Betz (Vice President Innovation Merck).

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"Thank you so much for organizing this wonderful event and for giving me a chance to participate! It created this very special and rare team spirit, which makes almost anything possible."

"The amount of learning and positive experiences I have gained is difficult to put into words."


Anniversary Innovation Cup Participant 2018

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Impressions from the finals

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Ulrich Betz (Vice Preseident Innovation) introducing the teams

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The audience cheering

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Discussions during dinner

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Listening to the talks in a filled auditorium

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The orga team comparing notes

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Poster discussions close up

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Poster session at the back of the auditorium

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Teams

Our teams: Healthy Lives, Materials & Solutions, Life Reimagined, Vibrant Digital and Bright Future.

learn more about this year's teams

Healthy Lives

Work on new healthcare approaches covering unmet medical need for the benefit of patients in areas such as oncology, autoimmune diseases, and beyond.

learn about this year's teams

Materials & Solutions

Work on new, innovative ideas to develop the next enabling breakthrough materials for the future along with game changing applications.

learn about this year's teams

Vibrant Digital

Develop proposals to leverage the power of in-silico, machine learning, cognitive computing, big data, and augmented reality to make great things happen.

learn about this year's teams

Bright Future

Develop transformative ideas and new ways of working and collaborating to boost the ability of organizations and humanity to create a bright future for humankind.

learn about this year's teams

Life Reimagined

Develop ideas using synthetic biology for technologies that can correct genetic defects to cure, reprogram stem cells to heal injuries, probe the mysteries of the microbiome.

learn about this year's teams

"Learning, innovating, networking, having fun and winning – the Innovation Cup is the chance for graduate students to make a difference!"

Dr. Ulrich Betz

Vice President, Department Head Innovation & Entrepreneurship Incubator
Innovation Cup Inventor and Manager

Future Insight Conference

In addition, all participants of the Anniversary Cup attend the Curious2018 Conference which Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany conducts at the occasion of its 350th anniversary in 2018.

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Awards

International Business Awards
International Business Awards

International Stevie Awards 2018

Edison Awards
Edison Awards

Edison Awards 2017 Winner

German Stevie Awards
German Stevie Awards

2017 Stevie Gold Winner

Innovationspreis der deutschen Wirtschaft
Innovationspreis der deutschen Wirtschaft

Innovationspreis der deutschen Wirtschaft Winner 2015

Deutscher Ideen-Preis
Deutscher Ideen-Preis

Deutscher Ideen-Preis International Idea 2014

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Innovation Cup Team

How does it work?

In 2018, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany celebrate its 350th anniversary. On this occasion, we conduct a special expanded anniversary edition of the Innovation Cup with 75 participants in Darmstadt, Germany (July 16-24, 2018). This Innovation Cup covery not only the field of Healthcare, but also Life Science and Performance Materials.

As part of the Innovation Cup, participants attend the scientific conference Curious2018. Following the Curious2018 conference participants work together in small teams in a highly stimulating environment to:

  • Work as part of a team to generate new ideas in the fields: healthy lives, synthetic biology, material solutions, digitalization, and new ways of working together
  • Evaluate ideas from a technical and business perspective and build a convincing business plan
  • Learn the essentials about R&D within the pharmaceutical and chemical industry
  • Network with the brightest students from all over the world
  • Understand how products are successfully discovered, developed, and brought to market
  • Get to know Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and learn about career options

A jury, consisting of top scientists and entrepreneurs, selects the best business plan in each of the five focus fields and award each winning team with EUR 5.000. From these, the Jury selects the overall winner of the Anniversary Cup 2018 with a prize of EUR 20.000.

Travel, accommodation and food expenses paid for by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

This program is not open to U.S. healthcare professionals. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany retains exclusive rights to make any press release or any kind of public communication about the Innovation Cup winner(s).

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Innovation Cup Team

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