Merck, a leading science and technology company, is investing €62 million in a new quality control building for its Life Science business at its Darmstadt headquarters. This facility will consolidate approximately 135 employees from various departments into a state-of-the-art, collaborative space. Spanning nearly 10,000 square meters, the building is expected to be completed by mid-2025. This project is part of Merck’s broader investment plan for the Darmstadt site, totaling around €1.5 billion by 2025.
“Quality plays an essential role in our purpose to impact life and health with science. The quality, compliance, and business support are fundamental to our innovative Life Science products, services, and digital offerings and make us a trusted partner to our stakeholders,” said Robert Nass, Head of Quality & Regulatory Management, Life Science business of Merck. “Our new quality control facility is a reflection of our commitment to delivering the highest quality and safest products to our customers and the patients they serve.”
Quality control is crucial for ensuring the safety of life science products used in the research, discovery, and manufacture of medicines. During this process, products are tested for purity to detect and remove harmful substances. Merck’s Life Science business operates more than 25 labs specializing in relevant methods.
The new facility is designed to meet the German Sustainable Building Council GOLD standard for sustainability. It will feature regenerative energy generation, low-CO2 construction, and comply with specific safety requirements for genetic engineering and biology laboratories, as well as dust-free labs that follow strict hygiene protocols. The labs will also be GMP-compliant.
Darmstadt is a key research and development center for Merck’s life science technologies. Over the next ten years, approximately one-fifth of the Life Science business’s sales from new products are expected to originate from this site. The goal is to expand Life Science’s capacities and capabilities to meet the growing global demand for medicines.
