Merck Serono, a division of Merck, Darmstadt, Germany, will expand its programme fund named Grant for Fertility Innovation (GFI) to €4 million for 2012/2013. This expansion programme was announced by the company during the 28th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).

Announced for the first time in 2009, the GFI is dedicated to transforming innovative translational fertility research projects at academic centres into concrete health solutions to improve the outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). In the last three years, around 400 applications to GFI were received from over 40 countries around the world.

“We welcome Merck Serono’s commitment which contributes to fuel innovation in the field of fertility. Since the 1950s, great discoveries have been made leading to the development of treatments and the birth of millions of babies thanks to cutting edge techniques such as in vitro fertilization,” said Dr. Anna Veiga, chaiman of ESHRE.

“While tremendous progress has been made over the years, research must continue to allow further advances.” “Our GFI programme has already enabled previous winners to publish important research, which may lead to new medical approaches in fertility, a key therapeutic area for research and development at Merck Serono,” said Dr Annalisa Jenkins, executive vice president global development and medical at Merck Serono. “We firmly believe that scientific collaboration that brings together researchers from across the academic and industry continuum will be the leading driver for the next wave of research and medical innovation.”

Every year, the GFI awardees are announced during a ceremony at ESHRE’s annual meeting. This year’s ceremony was presided by Dr Annalisa Jenkins, joined by Timur Gürgan, chairman of the Local Organizing Committee of ESHRE 2012, Dr. Anna Veiga, chairman of ESHRE, and Prof. Nick Macklon, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at the University of Southampton, and past GFI winner.

This year, nine winning projects were announced during the ceremony:  Edson Borges Jr. (Brazil): Non-invasive prediction of embryo implantation potential and culture media;  Angelika Daser (Germany): Direct counting of chromatids in polar bodies;  Ellen Greenblatt (Canada): Validation of endometrial receptivity biomarkers predictive of success;  Marcos Horton (Argentina): Fourier -Transform Infrared spectroscopy for metabolomics in IVF;  Giovanni Ruvolo (Italy): A new strategy in selecting oocytes with high implantation potentiality;  Lois A. Salamonsen (Australia): Uterine receptivity: the final hurdle in IVF;  Rossana Sapiro (Uruguay): Increase sperm quality by improvement of mitochondrial activity;  François Vialard (France): PIF-Biomarker of successful pregnancy  Dagan Wells (UK):

Merck Serono announced the initiation of the GFI programme in 2009 to support the advancement of science and innovative technologies in the fertility field. This grant is awarded every year to translational research projects that can potentially improve baby birth rate for the benefit of the patients. Each project  is blinded and evaluated by a jury of experts according to five criteria: support to increase baby birth rate; innovative research; scientific rationale; feasibility and practical utility.