Merck Research Grant 2026 in Germany for Neuroinflammatory Diseases, AI in Cell Culture, Remediation, Cell-Free Screening, and Molecule Synthesis Merck in Germany

Merck is offering Research Grants 2026 in Germany for scientists at all career stages affiliated with a research-based institution, university, or company. This is a competitive research funding opportunity rather than a degree opening.

The 2026 call includes several research topics: in-vitro models and assays for novel therapies for neuroinflammatory diseases, artificial intelligence in cell culture media and process development, economical remediation of contaminated high-volume materials, condensate-based high-sensitivity cell-free screening assays for protein-protein interactions, and advancing molecule synthesis and discovery.

Funding is substantial: grants of up to 500,000 EUR per year for up to 3 years are available, with topic-specific awards ranging from 100,000 EUR to 250,000 EUR per year. One topic also offers up to 3 one-year Synthia® Retrosynthesis Software licenses plus training and interaction with Merck scientists.

Applicants first submit a non-confidential application through the Merck portal. If selected, they are invited to submit a full confidential proposal and participate in a deep-dive workshop with Merck managers and scientists. The submission deadline for the 2026 Research Grants is 31 August 2026.

This post was shared by Nitin K. of The University of Sheffield. The opportunity is especially relevant for researchers in biology, medical science, computer science, chemistry, environmental science, and pharmacy.