German chemicals and pharmaceuticals group Merck announced Thursday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

In a press release, Merck states that its collaboration with the academic body will focus primarily on research and development (R&D) projects for industrial applications, particularly in biotechnology.

Advancing research and preparing the next generation of scientists is a key element of drug discovery", emphasized Matthias Heinzel, head of Merck's life sciences division.

As part of the partnership, Merck intends to supply KAIST researchers with compounds from its portfolio, while offering them development opportunities.

Merck also says it wants to establish a joint laboratory dedicated to topics such as materials analysis, new drug development or '-omics' technologies, including genomics.

This agreement comes at a time when Merck, which has been present in South Korea for some thirty years, recently announced its intention to invest some 300 million euros in the construction of a new bioprocessing site in Daejeon, the historic headquarters of KAIST.

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