Work Your Magic with us!

Ready to explore, break barriers, and discover more? We know you’ve got big plans – so do we! Our colleagues across the globe love innovating with science and technology to enrich people’s lives with our solutions in Healthcare, Life Science, and Electronics. Together, we dream big and are passionate about caring for our rich mix of people, customers, patients, and planet. That's why we are always looking for curious minds that see themselves imagining the unimaginable with us.

United As One for Patients, our purpose in Healthcare is to help create, improve and prolong lives. We develop medicines, intelligent devices and innovative technologies in therapeutic areas such as Oncology, Neurology and Fertility. Our teams work together across 6 continents with passion and relentless curiosity in order to help patients at every stage of life. Joining our Healthcare team is becoming part of a diverse, inclusive and flexible working culture, presenting great opportunities for personal development and career advancement across the globe.

Innovation Cup 2026 – Great minds come together

The Innovation Cup in its sixteenth year, brings together a promising new generation of academic talents from life sciences, material sciences, data sciences and business administration with the company’s senior management, researchers and accomplished retirees. This meeting of the minds is a creative and innovative platform aimed at advancing science and technology.

What’s in it for me?

If you are a post-graduate student with an interest in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry, the Innovation Cup is your chance to gain in-depth knowledge about pharmaceutical and chemical research and development, to network with top students from around the world and to build a business case together with experienced professionals.

Explore job opportunities at our company and visit the innovation summer camp near Frankfurt, Germany, August 8th to 14th, 2026 and take your chance to win the Innovation Cup along with EUR 20,000 with your team (EUR 5,000 for the runner-up team and EUR 3,000 for third place).

All travel, accommodation and food expenses will be paid by the company.

The team neuroscience & immunology will work on innovative approaches for the treatment of immune-mediated neurological diseases and rheumatological diseases of high unmet need.

Who can apply:

We invite advanced students in life sciences, chemistry, physics, computer sciences and business administration from all over the world to apply for participation in the Innovation Cup. 35 students will be selected:

• Sciences: Postgraduate students in the life, material and data sciences, on their way towards a PhD in biology, chemistry, medicine, physics, biotech, bioinformatics, biochemistry, pharmacy, informatics, computer science, data science, engineering or related fields. Also Post Docs can apply!
• Business: Advanced MBA students or recent MBA graduates with an interest in the pharmaceutical business and a life science background.

The cup is not open to U.S. healthcare professionals.

How it works:

During a one week Summer Camp, 42 selected postgraduate students will attend in-depth presentations about the pharmaceutical and chemical industry given by our management, scientists and external experts. Participants will work in small teams to generate an innovative idea that addresses a scientific challenge and develop the idea into a business plan. Teams will receive coaching and guidance from experienced veterans of our company, the Summer Camp moderator and our Innovation Management. You will learn the essentials about R&D within the pharmaceutical and chemical industry and understand how products are successfully discovered, developed and brought to market. You will learn to evaluate your ideas from a technical and business perspective and build a convincing business plan.

The teams will present their business plans to a grand jury. The jury will be composed of our top management plus external consultants. The jury will select the best business plan and present the winning team with the Innovation Cup award and cash prize of EUR 20,000 plus EUR 5,000 for the runner-up team and EUR 3,000 for the third place. At the first day of the Innovation Cup a conference with alumni from previous events will be organized with ample networking opportunities.

How do I apply?

Please only send your application (motivational letter, CV including publication list) through the webpage below and then select the specific team of your choice to apply for.

Further information about the program and how to apply online from October 13th, 2025, until January 31st, 2026:
For visitors in the United States and Canada innovationcup.emdgroup.com
For visitors outside the United States and Canada Innovationcup.merckgroup.com

Location:

Near Frankfurt, Germany, August 8th to 14th, 2026.
Travel, accommodation and food expenses will be paid by the company.

What we offer: We are curious minds that come from a broad range of backgrounds, perspectives, and life experiences. We celebrate all dimensions of diversity and believe that it drives excellence and innovation, strengthening our ability to lead in science and technology. We are committed to creating access and opportunities for all to develop and grow at your own pace. Join us in building a culture of inclusion and belonging that impacts millions and empowers everyone to work their magic and champion human progress!

Apply now and become a part of our diverse team!