Merck announces third edition of Merck Young Scientist Award

New Delhi, July 12, 2023. Merck, a leading science and technology company, has announced the third edition of its Merck Young Scientist Award 2023 to recognise young scientists in India. This prestigious award traditionally acknowledges young scientists from academia, who are making a difference in the lives of millions across India, through their cutting-edge research in life sciences. This year the initiative will honour 10 curious minds for their scientific contribution towards human progress. These individuals will be awarded prizes totalling INR 2,250,000.

The application process has started on June 26, 2023 and will close on August 16, 2023.

To be eligible for the 2023 Merck Young Scientist Award, researchers must be associated with a research institute with less than 10 years of post-Ph.D. research experience and reside in India. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on November 24, 2023.

This year’s award program will welcome applications from three distinct categories, namely:
- Biological Sciences
- Chemical Sciences
- A special category dedicated to Sustainability Research (green chemistry, renewable/alternate energy, sustainable materials and manufacturing), reflecting the growing significance of environmental consciousness in scientific research

A total of 10 scientists will be awarded the 2023 Merck Young Scientist Award; 2 winners each in the fields of biological and chemical sciences and 1 winner in sustainability research. Additionally, there will be 5 runner-up recipients. The winners will receive a prize of INR 350,000 and the runners-up will be awarded INR 100,000.

Speaking on the awards, Mr Dhananjay Singh, Head of Science and Lab Solutions, Merck Life Science said “This year, we have chosen to focus on sustainability apart from the disciplines of Chemistry and Biology since we believe as an organization that sustainability is a key pillar of scientific research. Bringing this up as a highlight will also make it evident to the industry and academics how central sustainability is as a theme as we all work towards human progress. While the primary objective is to continue to identify and honour the talented young scientists across India, we also want to take this opportunity to make sustainability a buzzword to create awareness for the same through an award that is well known amongst the scientific fraternity. As always, we eagerly anticipate the remarkable findings that will arise from the diligent research efforts of these exceptional scientists this year as well.”

Sharing his views, Dr Anurag Agrawal, Dean, Ashoka University and Chair for the award, said, “I am delighted to be part of the return of the prestigious Merck Young Scientist Awards, recognizing exceptional young researchers in India. This forum has shone the spotlight on deserving scientists in academia who have made significant development in research as well as brought to light their achievements which would have otherwise gone unnoticed. I am confident that along with Merck Life Science's purpose of celebrating curious mind, the jury will be able to identify winners that are deserving of recognition this year too.”

Leading the jury for the 2023 Merck Young Scientist Award are three distinguished chairs Dr Anurag Agrawal, Dean of Ashoka University, Dr Radha Rangarajan, Director of CSIR-CDRI, and Dr Srinivas Reddy, Director of CSIR-IICT. The applications will be reviewed by a distinguished panel of ten members from respected institutes. This esteemed panel includes Dr Chepuri Ramana from NCL, Dr Kavirayani Prasad from IISc, Prof. Krishna P Kaliappan from IIT-Bombay, Prof. Chinmay Mukhopadhyay from JNU, Prof. Yogeeswari Perumal, Dean of BITS-Pilani, Prof. Pankaj Seth from NBRC, Prof. Nihar Ranjan Jana from IIT Kharagpur, Dr Beena Pillai from CSIR-IGIB, Dr Ghanshyam Swarup from CCMB, and Dr Taruna Madan from NIRRH.

In past editions, the Merck Young Scientist Award Program has received remarkable support, garnering an overwhelming response with over 2000 registrations from nearly 1000 institutes across India. This resulted in over 500 high-quality applications vying for the prestigious award. The program has recognized 25 young scientists in the last two editions. The event witnessed a significant increase in participation in 2021, with over 2,000 registrations, 1,000 applications, 500 qualified applications, and representation from over 600 institutions across 290 cities in 19 states. This remarkable response generated over 60,000 page views, reflecting widespread interest and engagement.