Teams
At the Innovation Cup, several teams run in parallel, covering the areas described below. Based on interest and expertise, participants choose the fields they are most interested in. We look forward to meeting you soon!
Eligibility
- Postgraduate Students pursuing a PhD in one of the following fields: Biology, Medicine, Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Computer Sciences, Data Sciences, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Engineering, Related fields
- Postdoctoral Students: Eligible to apply.
- MBA Students: Advanced MBA students or recent graduates with: an interest in the pharmaceutical business or a background in life sciences
- Exclusions: The program is not open to healthcare professionals.
Application process
- Application Deadline: January 31, 2026. You may apply for more than one team.
- Notification: Applicants will be informed about next steps by early March 2026.
- Idea Submission: Selected applicants will be invited to submit ideas by early April 2026.
- Team Selection: Team assignments will be finalized by early May 2026.
- Event Dates: The summer camp takes place from August 8-14 2026, near Frankfurt, Germany, with all travel, accommodation, and food expenses covered by Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Application Process
Oncology
The team will work on new innovative approaches for the targeted treatment of cancer with small molecules or proteins either directly attacking cancer cells or via stimulating the immune system and overcoming the immunosuppressive environment of tumors
Neuroscience & Immunology
The team will work on innovative approaches for the treatment of immune-mediated neurological diseases and rheumatological diseases of high unmet need.
Drug discovery
The team will work on innovative approaches to discover, screen, design and optimize new small molecular drugs or protein or nucleic-acid based drugs and their formulations.
Fertility
The team will work on new innovative approaches and molecular targets for reproductive longevity to extend fertility and delay menopause.
Synthetic Biology
The team will work on innovative approaches to leverage the power of synthetic biology for new tools enabling the scientific community and to discover, screen, design and optimize new protein and nucleic-acid based drugs and their formulations
smart facturing
The team will work on innovative approaches for AI-driven energy saving, digital twins for manufacturing process optimization and top notch digitalization and automation solutions.
advanced electronic materials
The team will work developing a new material concept that reduces the large footprint caused by etch or film growth stop layers in modern semiconductor manufacturing. These layers are essential for producing advanced logic and memory chips, but innovative materials and methods are needed to keep up with the demand for smaller features in future nodes while keeping costs down.