EIC and Merck Group stage targeted Corporate Day to scout deep tech for drug discovery and sustainability
- ›On 19–20 January 2026 the European Innovation Council organised a Corporate Day with Merck Group in Darmstadt to connect 15 EIC‑backed deep tech start-ups with Merck decision makers and technical experts.
- ›Participating companies covered drug discovery acceleration, molecular simulation, organoids, advanced delivery to the brain, DNA data storage, graphene semiconductors, and sustainable plastics recycling.
- ›The event was part of the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme and followed months of coaching, proposal reviews and curated matchmaking to accelerate pilots and commercial trials.
- ›EIC says the Corporate Partnership Programme provides structured access to vetted technologies and corporate problems, but long term impact depends on pilots, IP, regulatory alignment and procurement pathways.
EIC Corporate Day with Merck Group: curated scouting for drug discovery, materials and sustainability
On 19 and 20 January 2026 the European Innovation Council hosted a Corporate Day at Merck Group’s Darmstadt headquarters. The event matched senior decision makers and technical leads from Merck with 15 start-ups that had been pre‑selected from the EIC portfolio and prepared through targeted coaching and business proposal reviews. The stated objective was to move rapidly from scouting to scoped trials in areas Merck identified as priorities for research, development and sustainability.
High level attendees from Merck included Dr Ulrich Betz, Senior Vice President, Innovation; Dr Peer Kirsch, Scientific Director; Sebastian Bohl, Vice President, Healthcare Innovation & Business Excellence; and Dr Petra Wicklandt, Head of Corporate Sustainability. Representatives from the EIC included Board Member Victoria Hernández Valcárcel and Manuel Mendigutía, Senior Strategy Adviser and Programme Coordinator for the EIC. The event was run under the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme and the EIC Business Acceleration Services.
Format and practical value
The Corporate Day followed a curated format. Start‑ups arrived with pitches and business proposals refined through weeks of coaching. Merck presented clear problem statements and brought both technical experts and decision makers to the table. Organisers say that structure enabled quick movement from introductions to concrete use cases, data requirements and next steps. The EIC emphasised follow‑up support to help convert interest into pilots, co‑development projects or commercial trials.
Both EIC and Merck framed the exercise as part of a wider open innovation and corporate venturing approach. Merck described the session as a time efficient route to pre‑vetted technologies aligned with its R&D priorities across areas such as target biology discovery, drug discovery tools, delivery platforms, in silico prediction and sustainability innovations for semiconductors and plastics.
Who presented and what technologies were on show
The 15 EIC‑backed companies represented a mix of computational chemistry, experimental platforms, sensors, materials and recycling technologies. Presentations ranged from early‑stage deep tech to companies offering near‑term pilots. Below is a compact reference list of the participants and their claimed capabilities.
| Company | Country | Technology or focus |
| ATLANT 3D | Denmark | Atomic‑precision manufacturing platform using Direct Atomic Layer Processing for semiconductor material development. |
| BEIT | Poland | Quantum‑inspired molecular modelling and bioconvergence platform for computational design and automated fabrication. |
| Bioinicia | Spain | GMP‑compliant nanofiber and nanoparticle drug delivery platforms based on electrohydrodynamic technologies. |
| Biosimulytics | Ireland | AI and quantum‑physics informed crystal structure prediction for polymorph analysis of small molecules. |
| BioSistemika | Slovenia | Proprietary DNA data storage platform claiming ultra‑dense and long‑term archival stability. |
| Cherry Biotech | France | Ready‑to‑use organoid plates and instruments that recreate vascularised and immunocompetent organoid models. |
| Compular | Sweden | Cloud molecular‑scale simulation platform for rapid digital screening of chemistries, solvents and materials. |
| FastCompchem | Portugal | Quantum‑mechanical electronic signatures platform for mechanism‑aware prediction of early stage toxicity. |
| FluIDect | Germany | At‑line label‑free biosensor for quantitative protein analysis in minutes for bioprocess monitoring. |
| Fych Technologies | Spain | Mechanical recycling technology for multilayer plastics using patented delamination to produce high value recycled materials. |
| Genomika | Lithuania | Fully autonomous end‑to‑end DNA data storage platform with novel scalable synthesis methods aimed at archival operations. |
| Grapheal | France | Electronic‑grade monolayer graphene manufacturer for semiconducting films and low‑cost IoT sensing platforms. |
| Hooke Bio | Ireland | Body‑on‑a‑plate organoid platform that connects on‑target and off‑target tissues through fluidic pathways for predictive safety and efficacy assays. |
| Nanocarry Therapeutics | Israel | Brain delivery platform that claims validated transport of multiple copies of biologics across the blood–brain barrier without modifying therapeutics. |
| Trince | Belgium | Automated intracellular delivery platform using photoporation technology compatible with standard labware. |
Selected technical concepts explained
What participants reported and immediate value
Start‑ups said the event generated immediate engagement beyond visibility. Presenters reported substantive technical discussions with Merck experts about data requirements, integration paths and pilot designs. Some quoted potential follow ups such as discovery calls and scoped collaborations. Merck highlighted the curated nature of the cohort as important for productive discussions.
Start‑up testimonies included statements that the meeting helped them identify new use cases beyond their original target industry and that exposure to Merck’s clinical and commercial expertise materially accelerated discussions about potential trials and partnerships. Those are plausible near‑term outcomes, but converting them into pilots, revenue or regulatory submissions will typically take months and depend on demonstrator data, IP clarity and commercial terms.
Programme context and metrics
The EIC described this Corporate Day as another iteration of its Corporate Partnership Programme which aims to align deep tech innovators with corporate priorities. The EIC reports that since 2017 the programme has run dozens of initiatives with large corporates across sectors and claims measurable business impact in the form of meetings, follow ups and deals.
| Metric | Figure reported by EIC |
| Corporate Partnership initiatives since 2017 | 92 |
| Corporate partners engaged | +120 |
| EIC‑funded start‑ups and scale‑ups involved | ~1,200 |
| Corporate high level representatives | +2,500 |
A balanced perspective
Events like this are useful because they compress discovery, due diligence and networking into a short period and reduce search costs for corporates. They also give start‑ups access to experienced technical reviewers and potential customers. However, the real test of value is whether curated introductions lead to funded pilots, technology transfer, procurement contracts or co‑development agreements. Those outcomes require both scientific validation and business work including commercial negotiation, regulatory planning and operational integration.
For life sciences and deep tech investors and observers, corporate days are signals that large firms continue to pursue open innovation to de‑risk and accelerate access to new approaches. They also underline common constraints in the European innovation ecosystem: scaling from lab to industry, securing follow‑on funding, and navigating procurement and regulatory regimes that can slow adoption compared with technology demonstrations.
Next steps and how to engage
The EIC said it offers post‑activity support to both start‑ups and corporate partners to maximise the chance of converting interest into pilots and contracts. Corporates interested in joining the programme are asked to apply through the EIC Corporate Partnership Programme and to sign a declaration of intent. The EIC also promotes its broader Business Acceleration Services including innovation procurement, investor readiness and international expansion support.
For start‑ups, the practical takeaway is to present not only technology but concrete integration plans, required data and success criteria for a pilot. For corporates, the takeaway is to prepare clear problem statements, define quick win pilots and commit resources to post‑match follow up to avoid momentum loss.
Contact and further reading
The EIC publishes information about the Corporate Partnership Programme and upcoming Corporate Days on its EIC Business Acceleration Services pages. Corporates that want to propose collaborations can apply through the open call for corporations. The initiative is part of the EIC BAS portfolio which includes coaching, procurement matching and investor readiness services.
This article retains the factual content reported by the EIC about the Merck Corporate Day while adding context and cautious commentary to clarify the likely path from matchmaking events to pilots and deals. Corporate‑startup engagement is valuable, but converting meetings into impact requires sustained technical work, legal clarity and commercial alignment.