Merck Inaugurates New Material Research Center in Darmstadt, Germany

With the opening of a new research center, the pharmaceutical and chemical company Merck is underscoring the importance of chemical research at its corporate headquarters in Darmstadt. German Federal Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and Dr. Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, officially opened the Material Research Center (MRC) in the presence of the Prime Minister of the Federal State of Hesse Volker Bouffier as well as about 300 other guests. The research and development center comprises two six-story buildings as well as a pilot plant with a cleanroom and offers 340 employees a modern working environment. The building complex, which has a surface area of 11,000 square meters, cost approximately EUR 50 million, making it the single largest R&D investment within Merck's Chemicals business sector to date.

The activities performed in the Material Research Center include research and development work on innovative liquid crystals for flat panel displays in televisions and computer monitors as well as materials for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Further research areas are materials for mobile energy storage systems, for example for use in hybrid or electric vehicles, as well as microbiological test systems for detecting pathogenic bacteria in food. Previously, the majority of the R&D center's staff was located at three different sites: Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Mainz. The new center enables them to readily exchange expertise and ideas with each other. During a tour of the building, Chancellor Merkel was informed first-hand about Merck's research areas of focus, especially in the area of light generation using OLEDs.

Source: Merck KGaA