Merck Serono Launches Innovation Cup 2011

Merck Serono Innovation Cup 2011 is a Corporate Initiative for the Professional Development of Post-Graduate Students Interested in a Career in the Pharmaceutical Industry

GENEVA, February 15, 2011 - Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany,
announces today the launch of the Merck Serono Innovation Cup 2011, an
initiative offering the chance to advanced students in life sciences and
business administration programs to attend a one-week training program with
Merck Serono professionals. Twenty selected participants will have the
opportunity to learn about the pharmaceutical industry through presentations
provided by Merck Serono's management and external experts, and to work
together with their peers to develop concrete business cases, coached by
Merck Serono retired professionals.

"Building talent today for tomorrow's business is a strategic
priority at Merck Serono. One way to achieve this is by contributing to the
personal development of talented post-graduate students who have the
potential to become the leaders of tomorrow. During the Summer Innovation
Camp, students will learn the fundamentals of Research and Development within
the pharmaceutical industry, the implications of discovering and developing
new drugs that address the unmet needs of patients, and the requirements to
successfully bring those drugs to the market," said Dietmar Eidens, Head of
Global Human Resources at Merck Serono.

"The Innovation Cup program was also developed to provide a
forum for exchanging ideas on medical innovation that can truly make a
difference in people's lives. Students will have access to highly skilled
professionals and will receive the required training to transform those ideas
into real business plans. It's a unique opportunity for them to get a first
hand experience in entrepreneurship in the pharmaceutical industry," added
Susan Herbert, Head of Portfolio Development at Merck Serono.

The Summer Camp training week will take place near Frankfurt,
Germany, on August 1-5, 2011. In addition to attending the various
presentations, students will work on practical business cases in Merck
Serono's core therapeutic areas - Oncology, Neurodegenerative Diseases,
Rheumatology, Fertility and Endocrinology - and be given the opportunity to
team up with peers and a Merck Serono retired professional to transform their
most promising ideas into a business plan. Each plan will be presented to a
grand jury comprised of members of Merck Serono's senior management as well
as external experts, who will award a prize of EUR 10,000 to the team
presenting the most convincing plan.

The training program is open[1] to students pursuing advanced
master and Ph.D. degrees, in life sciences as well as MBA students, from all
over the world. Further details on the application process and the full
training program are available on innovationcup.merckserono.com.

About Merck Serono

Merck Serono is the division for innovative prescription
pharmaceuticals of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a global pharmaceutical
and chemical company. Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, Merck Serono
discovers, develops, manufactures and markets innovative small molecules and
biopharmaceuticals to help patients with unmet medical needs. In the United
States and Canada, EMD Serono operates as a separately incorporated affiliate
of Merck Serono.

Merck Serono has leading brands serving patients with cancer (Erbitux(R),
cetuximab), multiple sclerosis (Rebif(R), interferon beta-1a), infertility
(Gonal-f(R), follitropin alfa), endocrine and metabolic disorders (Saizen(R)
and Serostim(R), somatropin), (Kuvan(R), sapropterin dihydrochloride) as well
as cardiometabolic diseases (Glucophage(R), metformin), (Concor(R),
bisoprolol), (Euthyrox(R), levothyroxine). Not all products are available in
all markets.

With an annual R&D expenditure of more than EUR 1 billion,
Merck Serono is committed to growing its business in specialist-focused
therapeutic areas including neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, fertility
and endocrinology, as well as new areas potentially arising out of research
and development in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.

About Merck

Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company with
total revenues of EUR 7.7 billion in 2009, a history that began in 1668, and
a future shaped by approximately 40,000 employees in 64 countries. Its
success is characterized by innovations from entrepreneurial employees.
Merck's operating activities come under the umbrella of Merck KGaA, in which
the Merck family holds an approximately 70% interest and free shareholders
own the remaining approximately 30%. In 1917 the U.S. subsidiary Merck & Co.
was expropriated and has been an independent company ever since.

For more information, please visit www.merckserono.com
or www.merck.de

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[1] The Merck Serono Innovation Cup is not open to US Healthcare
Providers.

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