We take it for granted that all children should learn to read, write and do arithmetic. In the digital era, new basic skills are added to this list, as we are now facing the challenge of digital literacy.

Soon the entire world will be connected to the Internet through satellites. Providing cars, airplanes and households with easy access to the online world, from any location, will require a new generation of smart antennas.

Everyone is talking about artificial intelligence (AI) – in the media, at conferences and in product brochures. Yet the technology is still in its infancy. Applications that would have been dismissed as science fiction not long ago could become reality within a few years.

The term “innovation” may well conceal the biggest black box in the business world. Every company wants to be innovative, but only a few manage to remain innovative for decades.

Humans have always been inspired by nature when it comes to technological innovations – just think of the lotus effect or the streamlined shapes in modern design. Nature is now providing a model for the next generation of computers as well.

The coronavirus pandemic has compelled countries, the global economy and every single one of us to move our daily lives to the digital world. This is happening to an unprecedented extent and at extremely short notice.

The coronavirus crisis has hit us hard. The surprise it has caused is actually itself surprising. After all, there were plenty of reports and images of Covid-19 in China – and despite this, we in Europe were not sufficiently prepared.

The spread of the coronavirus is going to sustainably change the way companies work. Working from home or on the road is suddenly no longer just a welcome option, but a necessity – for many companies this is a major challenge that requires flexible solutions.

More and more people are living in cities. In an effort to prevent rapidly growing urban areas from collapsing under their own weight, cities around the world are increasingly taking an intelligent approach to how they organize and plan their traffic, energy supply and administrative systems.

Like other sectors, the chemical industry has to continually assess its business model and take the latest technical advances into account. At Merck, our business extends well beyond the production of chemicals and our customers are increasingly seeking holistic solutions, not just products.