At the core of the collaboration is a shared objective: to strengthen Europe’s digital resilience, sovereignty, and to systematically foster entrepreneurial activity in the cybersecurity sector. To achieve this, DEEP and Merck are launching a comprehensive set of measures, including curated formats for structured exchange between business leaders, academics, and policymakers. These are complemented by targeted initiatives to support technology-driven founders. 

“We want to place the entrepreneurial relevance of technological security solutions at the heart of the discussion and bring fresh thinking into executive suites. Cybersecurity must no longer be seen as a cost factor, but as a key driver of modern value creation,” says Thorsten Lambertus, Managing Director at DEEP. 

DEEP thrives on collaboration with startups originating from leading research institutions. Many of these ventures develop highly specialized security technologies, providing corporate partners with early access to disruptive solutions. The partnership with Merck is designed to scale and expand this approach strategically, and to integrate it more closely with industrial practice. 

Matthias Geselle, SVP and Head of IT Infrastructure at Merck, explains: “If Europe wants to remain technologically independent, it needs strong alliances between research, startups, and industry. That is precisely the focus of our partnership with DEEP. Our goal is to develop cybersecurity solutions out of Europe that are globally competitive.” 

Geselle adds: “Through our collaboration with DEEP, we gain early access to frontier security innovations that can be rapidly tested and implemented in real-world industrial environments. For example, by working directly with research-driven startups, we can co-develop solutions for secure supply chains and operational technology resilience—areas explicitly addressed by both NIS2 and Cybersecurity Risk Assessment.” 

This will be achieved by expanding direct collaboration between startups and industry. The result is a hub that not only drives innovation but also opens up concrete market opportunities and contributes to Europe’s long-term technological independence. A key aspect of this is close cooperation with executive security practitioners, who serve at the intersection of technology, risk management, and enterprise strategy and play a vital role in evaluating and implementing new security solutions. 

The partners are taking a long-term perspective that goes beyond short-term project cycles. By 2030, they aim to build a Europe-wide innovation network that systematically supports cybersecurity innovation, fosters technological and strategic exchange among key stakeholders, and accelerates the development of scalable solutions for real-world applications. 

About Merck 

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates across life science, healthcare and electronics. More than 62,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From providing products and services that accelerate drug development and manufacturing as well as discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2024, Merck generated sales of € 21.2 billion in 65 countries. 

Scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to Merck’s technological and scientific advances. This is how Merck has thrived since its founding in 1668. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Merck holds the global rights to the Merck name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck operate as MilliporeSigma in life science, EMD Serono in healthcare, and EMD Electronics in electronics.