Merck KGaA expands collaboration with ONTOFORCE to accelerate data-driven discovery

We’re excited to announce an expanded, multi-year collaboration between ONTOFORCE and EMD Serono, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (Merck KGaA) aimed at strengthening data connectivity and accelerating drug development. This renewed agreement deepens a long-standing partnership rooted in a shared commitment to harnessing data-driven innovation to advance science and improve patient outcomes. 

A partnership built on shared vision 

For several years, Merck KGaA has relied on ONTOFORCE’s flagship knowledge graph platform, DISQOVER, to enhance data findability and usability across its research ecosystem. By breaking down silos and connecting structured and unstructured data, DISQOVER empowers researchers and data scientists to uncover new insights faster and make more informed decisions. 

With this new phase of collaboration, Merck KGaA will expand its use of DISQOVER to support additional business initiatives aligned with its strategic goals. Ultimately, to further integrate semantic search and knowledge graph technology into the foundation of its R&D and digital transformation strategy. 

Building strong data foundations 

“Our collaboration with Merck KGaA has always been rooted in a shared belief that connected, contextualized data is the foundation of scientific innovation,” says Brecht Claerhout, CEO of ONTOFORCE. “Over the years, DISQOVER has become an integral part of Merck’s data ecosystem, helping transform how information is linked, understood, and applied across research. As data-driven strategies have become a necessity for successful and efficient drug development, and with AI taking an increasingly prominent role in the process, knowledge graphs are proving fundamental to achieving true data interoperability and building trustworthy AI. Together with Merck KGaA, we’re demonstrating how a strong data foundation can accelerate discovery and power the next generation of data-driven science.” 

Driving innovation across the R&D lifecycle 

Through DISQOVER, EMD Serono, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has streamlined data standardization and accessibility across multiple use cases throughout the drug development timeline. The platform’s expansion in the organization will now support even broader initiatives, including efforts in digital transformation, data literacy, machine learning, and generative AI to empower teams with harmonized, linked, and trusted data at every stage of research. 

About ONTOFORCE 

For over a decade, ONTOFORCE has empowered life sciences organizations to transform complex, fragmented data into actionable insights. Our flagship platform, DISQOVER, combines knowledge graph and semantic search technologies to harmonize structured and unstructured data — revealing hidden relationships, accelerating decisions, and driving innovation across the entire drug development lifecycle. 

Seamlessly integrating with AI/ML workflows, enterprise data ecosystems, and analytics tools, DISQOVER strengthens data strategies with harmonized, linked, and trusted information to turn complexity into clarity.  

DISQOVER is trusted by leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide, supporting researchers, bioinformaticians, and data scientists to uncover insights that advance science and innovation. 

ONTOFORCE is headquartered in Ghent, Belgium, with a secondary office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 

About EMD Serono, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany 

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.  

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.