Merck announces tech innovation center in Austin, creating over 600 jobs

by Kelly O'Halloran
July 17, 2017

merck facebook.jpg

Today, Governor Greg Abbott announced that pharmaceutical giant Merck Sharp & Dohme will develop its fourth global tech hub here in Austin, aided by a $6 million grant from the state.

“Technology-induced change — and change, in general — is inevitable in the healthcare industry. We are proactively bringing into the organization new talent with backgrounds in data science, analytics, machine learning, cyber security, agile software development and architecture, and are partnering with academia and start-ups,” read a statement on the company’s page.

The center will complement the Dell Medical School, driving innovation around health tech and healthcare providers and creating an estimated 119 jobs at a temporary facility by the end of the year.

This news follows another announcement in April when the Austin City Council approved a 10-year incentive program that pays the company $86,500 annually if it moved forward with a plan to add 600 jobs locally by 2026. The yearly payment would be based on employment and investment benchmarks throughout each year.

Merck said they’d pay an average salary of $86,000 per year while investing about $29 million in the new center. According to the Austin Statesman, Merck has not named a location just yet, but it’s likely to be at the Dell Medical School or in the adjoining innovation zone.

“We look forward to working with the innovative and collaborative community (in Austin and Texas), including partners like the Dell Medical School at UT Austin and the Austin Healthcare Council,” Merck CIO Clark Golestani said in a press release.

Merck is based out of Kenilworth, New Jersey, and has innovation offices in Branchburg, New Jersey, the Czech Republic and Singapore.


 

Image provided by Facebook.

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