OREANDA-NEWS. Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced it would continue to support the advancement of medical science in the field of fertility through the Grant for Fertility Innovation (GFI) program by awarding grants totalling €1.5 million in 2016/17. The announcement was made at the 32nd annual meeting of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), currently taking place in Helsinki, Finland.

Launched in 2009 at ESHRE, the GFI is dedicated to transforming innovative translational fertility research projects into concrete health solutions to improve the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). This year, 6 winning projects were selected from 112 global proposals with the common goal of improving the chances for couples to conceive a baby. The grant will be divided up into three milestone payments per project.

“The Grant for Fertility Innovation reflects our unprecedented commitment to improve outcomes for patients in need of new fertility solutions,” said Dr. Steven Hildemann, Global Chief Medical Officer and Head of Global Medical and Safety at Merck. “The GFI program has already enabled advanced researchers to accelerate scientific discovery and translational work to fertility care by leveraging an impactful global network of expertise across the academic and industry continuum.”