German firm Merck has announced the topping-out ceremony for its new Biotech Development Center in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. 

This investment of € 250 million, which was announced in January 2020, is intended to help secure the capacities for a cost-efficient and agile provision of clinical study medication in the long term, to shorten the development time of novel biological active ingredients and to meet the challenge of the increasingly complex production of biotechnological substances to master the next generation.

The Biotech Development Center is being built in the immediate vicinity of Merck's production site in Corsier-sur-Vevey as an interface between research and manufacturing. 

With a total area of 15,700 square meters, the development center will provide space for around 250 employees from different areas, who are currently spread across different locations.

Equipped with the most advanced digital solutions and the highest technological standards, including continuous manufacturing processes and laboratory automation, the newly opened center will offer an infrastructure that can be quickly and flexibly adapted to new needs and technological developments. 

It will have an open work environment that enables collaboration, creativity and innovation.

The Biotech Development Center is expected to be fully operational in 2023.

Image caption- From left to right: Philippe Leuba, State Councilor Canton Vaud; Marcus Claassen, Project Director of the Biotech Development Center; Teresa Rodó, Head of Global Healthcare Operations, Merck; Peter Guenter, CEO Healthcare, Merck; Arianne Rouge, Mayor of Corsier-sur-Vevey