Merck Serono has opened new global headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany. The redesigned buildings feature an open office concept intended to encourage project work and collaboration. Of the 1,700 Merck Serono employees in Darmstadt, 800 work in two office buildings southeast of Merck's main campus.

"Our new Merck Serono headquarters is more than just a redesigned building featuring a modern work environment," said Stefan Oschmann, the Merck executive board member responsible for the pharmaceuticals business. "It stands for a cultural transformation at Merck Serono toward a work style that is just as flexible as it is goal-oriented—one that offers an ideal foundation for the R&D of innovative therapies to meet unmet medical needs."

The creation of the new headquarters is part of the group-wide "Fit for 2018" transformation program. The entire Darmstadt site is being expanded over the next several years into the global headquarters of the Merck Group.

"The completion of the new Merck Serono headquarters reflects the continued development of our site," said Kai Beckmann, the Merck executive board member responsible for both the Darmstadt site as well as for group human resources. "We have already filled the key positions for R&D at Merck Serono with highly qualified candidates and anticipate that the modern working environment will help us attract top talent to Merck in the future as well."

When Merck Serono moved its headquarters from Geneva to Darmstadt in mid-2012, around 50 Merck Serono employees transferred to Darmstadt.