Bristol-Myers Squibb and the department of chemistry at Princeton University have launched a new research collaboration that includes the establishment of the Center for Molecular Synthesis (BMS-CMS).

The agreement creates opportunities for scientists at Princeton University and Bristol-Myers Squibb to collaborate on top-flight synthetic chemistry research, leveraging the two sites’ close proximity to foster a robust exchange of scientific ideas.

“Bristol-Myers Squibb has a long history of engaging in external collaborations and partnerships of all shapes and sizes, always with an eye toward advancing science,” said Percy Carter, Ph.D., head of discovery chemistry, Bristol-Myers Squibb. “Similarly, the Department of Chemistry at Princeton University fosters an environment of collegiality, innovation and scientific rigor, and our scientists look forward to contributing to that through this research collaboration.”

The research projects will investigate areas of mutual interest and benefit, utilizing the expertise developed in the laboratories of the Princeton faculty to conduct frontier science within the pharmaceutical industry. Over the next five years, the center also will fund a select group of research fellows each year. Each research fellow will be paired with a Bristol-Myers Squibb mentor who will provide scientific guidance to the researcher and offer valuable input from an industrial chemistry perspective. Fellows also will be able to interact with a variety of industrial researchers and learn firsthand how research is conducted in a pharmaceutical setting.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.