On Monday November 20th, Merck (NYSE: MRK) announced the second biopharmaceutical cohort of the Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDS Studio or MDSS), a collaboration between Merck, Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Northpond Ventures, McKesson Ventures, Microsoft for Startups, and the New Jersey Innovation Institute, a New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) subsidiary. The 10-month startup accelerator program, with direct investments from Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, Northpond Ventures, and McKesson Ventures, empowers members and enables the generation of innovative digital technologies for drug discovery and development through hands-on mentorship, connection opportunities with industry-leading partners, and training in an active entrepreneurial setting. Through the accelerator program, these startups will have access to workshops, coaching, office space, and Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub resources, including up to $150,000 Azure Cloud computing credits.
The collaborative startup cohort will focus on important and disruptive bio-technical approaches in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with expertise and tools from clinical scientists to continue Merck’s purpose to use the power of leading-edge science to save and improve lives.
