Merck Expands Digital Sciences Studio in Montreal

In a move that underscores Merck’s commitment to accelerating digital biopharma innovation in North America, Merck announced the second cohort of the Merck Digital Sciences Studio (MDSS) in Montreal on March 13, 2026. The Detroit-to-Montreal corridor has long been a focal point for cross-border collaboration in AI, biotech and lifecycle innovation, and this latest MDSS expansion places Montreal at the center of Merck’s strategic push to fuse digital health with drug discovery. The newsroom release describes MDSS as a collaborative digital health accelerator designed to invest in and mentor startups developing cutting-edge digital technologies that support preventive health, biologics R&D platforms and three-dimensional translational disease models. The Montreal-based program aligns with Merck’s broader Global Health Innovation Fund and regional partnerships to catalyze early-stage innovations into tangible patient benefits. (merck.com)

This development follows a prior milestone that opened the MDSS in Canada with a first cohort announced on June 20, 2025, establishing Montréal as a formal MDSS hub in North America. The initial program kicked off in July 2025 as a six-month acceleration track featuring seven selected startups, guided by Merck experts and open collaboration with Centech and CQDM. The rollout signaled a deliberate strategy to knit Canadian AI and biopharma ecosystems more tightly to Merck’s global health initiatives, and to mature a cross-border pipeline of technologies that can accelerate drug discovery and digital health tooling. For context, the City of Montréal and regional partners highlighted this moment as part of a broader influx of life-sciences and AI capital into Québec, a trend also echoed by local economic development organizations. (merck.ca)

MDSS Montreal’s evolution is not just a change in a program name; it is a data-driven expansion in scale and scope. MDSS’s second Montreal cohort increases the number of participating startups and broadens the geographic mix of founders. The program now comprises twelve startups—six Canadian and six American—entering a nine-month acceleration that blends Merck’s scientific mentorship with the operating partnership of Centech and the support network of CQDM and The Venture Collective (TVC). Each startup receives a total of $100,000 USD in funding through the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, TVC and CQDM. The cohort’s cross-border composition is designed to build a more integrated North American ecosystem where ideas can move more quickly from concept to clinical insight and patient impact. This expansion is highlighted by Merck leadership statements that emphasize Canada’s AI-capability and Québec’s strengths in life sciences as keys to accelerating innovation across borders. For a detailed list of the Canadian and U.S. startups selected for the 2026 Montreal cohort, see the official MDSS release and partner statements. (merck.com)

MDSS Montreal Expansion: What Happened

Cohort expansion and program structure

A twelve-startup roster across Canada and the United States

The March 13, 2026 Merck press release confirms a 12-startup roster for the 2026 Montreal cohort, with six Canadian and six U.S. startups participating in the nine-month acceleration program. The Canadian and U.S. entries span a diverse set of digital health and AI-enabled life sciences solutions, reflecting Merck’s aim to diversify the innovation pipeline across the two nations and to cultivate cross-border collaborations that can scale globally. The announcement also notes that the nine-month cadence includes mentoring from Merck and Centech, plus access to the broader MDSS network and industry leaders. The identified Canadian startups include Neiges Biotech, DropGenie, Epiloid Biotechnology, NuvoBio, Modulari-T Biosciences and Focai; the U.S. cohort includes ExteRNA, Intero Biosystems, Imprint AI, Fletcher Biosciences, Forecast Bio and Whelix. Linkable, descriptive anchors to the official releases provide the exact rosters and program details. (merck.com)

• Supporting the Canadian-U.S. cross-border model, Merck notes that the Montreal expansion is designed to bridge two innovation communities, with the city serving as a globally connected hub at the intersection of AI, biopharma and data science. This cross-border approach is repeatedly described as central to MDSS’s value proposition and its ability to translate early-stage technology into patient-ready solutions. The March 2026 release frames this as a deliberate effort to “build an integrated North American ecosystem where ideas, talent and capital can move more freely and more quickly from concept to impact for patients.” (merck.com)

Funding, partners, and program details

Nine-month acceleration and investment framework

Merck’s second Montreal cohort begins in March 2026 and spans nine months, during which startups receive structured guidance, access to Merck experts, and formal investment opportunities. The funding commitment for each startup totals $100,000 USD, distributed through a combination of the Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, TVC and CQDM. The collaboration with Centech, the Montreal-based technology accelerator, functions as the operating partner, coordinating mentorship and program logistics. This setup—global corporate backing, regional execution partners and a cross-border startup mix—illustrates a model Merck has signaled as scalable across North America. The exact funding composition and partner roles are clearly outlined in the March 13 release and reinforced by related Merck materials. (merck.com)

• The program’s emphasis on digital health, AI-driven drug discovery, and translational models aligns with Merck’s stated focus on digital biopharma. The MDSS framework emphasizes mentorship, coaching, and investment in startups that aim to accelerate preclinical and early clinical workflows, data interpretation, and decision support across development pipelines. The MDSS program page and press materials describe the nine-month structure, the mentoring ecosystem, and the strategic intent to pair startup teams with Merck scientists and external experts. For readers seeking a concise description of the program’s aims and mechanics, the MDSS program page provides a close match to the language used in the Montreal press materials. (mds.studio)

Participant profiles and the ecosystem effect

Notable quotes from leaders and ecosystem partners

The Montreal expansion has drawn commentary from senior figures across Merck, CQDM, TVC and Centech. David Rubin, Managing Director at Merck Global Health Innovation Fund, framed the expansion as a long-term investment in cross-border collaboration and patient impact. Jennifer Chan, Executive Director, Policy, at Merck Canada, underscored Canada’s ambition and talent in health innovation, highlighting the MDSS Montreal program as part of a broader North American platform. Véronique Dugas, CEO of CQDM, described the partnership as a way to connect Québec’s AI and biopharma strengths with Merck’s global leadership in life sciences. Finally, Marjorick Foisy, General Director of Centech, emphasized how MDSS Montreal leverages Centech’s open-innovation framework to scale high-potential tech companies. These quotes, drawn from the official press releases, illustrate the multi-stakeholder buy-in that underpins the expansion. For context and direct quotes, see the March 13 release and the June 20 release. (merck.com)

Why MDSS Montreal Expansion Matters

Cross-border innovation and an integrated North American ecosystem

The MDSS Montreal expansion is framed in the releases as a deliberate effort to fuse Canadian and U.S. innovation ecosystems around digital biopharma—combining AI, data science, and life sciences to accelerate the discovery and development of therapeutics and digital health tools. MDSS Montreal’s dual-country cohort structure aims to lower the barriers to collaboration, funding, and scale, providing startups with access to Merck’s global network while leveraging region-specific strengths in AI and healthcare research. The March 2026 release explicitly positions MDSS as a bridge-building exercise between two innovation communities in a city that is “uniquely positioned at the crossroads of biopharma, AI and data science.” This cross-border framing is consistent with Merck’s broader strategy to de-risk early-stage innovation by tapping into regional hubs that can feed into global pipelines. (merck.com)

Quebec and Montréal as AI and life-sciences hubs

The expansion into Montréal is also framed against Quebec’s and Canada’s institutional support for science, technology and health innovation. Notably, the Quebec government allocated funds to support the MDSS initiative, signaling public-private alignment around digital health acceleration. Montreal, already recognized for AI leadership and a robust life-sciences ecosystem, stands to gain from MDSS’s programmatic capital, mentoring networks, and cross-border investor attention. The public-private partnership dimension is highlighted in the opening press materials and reinforced by local ecosystem stakeholders who have publicly welcomed the MDSS Montreal expansion as a signal of Montréal’s growing role in global biotech and AI. (merck.ca)

Implications for startups, investors, and policy

For startups, MDSS Montreal expansion represents more than a single program increment. It signals durable access to capital, mentorship, and large-scale corporate exposure that can shorten development timelines and de-risk early-stage funding rounds. According to the March 2026 press release, the combination of a nine-month runway, structured mentorship, and a fixed investment per startup creates a predictable pathway from concept to investor readiness, which can be especially valuable in the digital health and AI-bio spaces where regulatory and technical hurdles are significant. For investors and policy-makers, the program offers a structured mechanism to identify and support high-potential ventures that can translate into patient outcomes and economic activity in both Québec and North America. These dynamics are consistent with the broader narrative around North American health-tech acceleration and the role of corporate-backed accelerators in filling funding gaps for early-stage companies. (merck.com)

What’s Next

Timeline, milestones, and next waves

The MDSS program’s published timeline indicates that 2027 cohorts are under consideration, with application windows and selection schedules laid out on the MDSS program page. In particular, for the 2027 cohort, applications open October 1, 2026, with deadlines and milestones that align with the Montreal expansion’s ongoing cadence. This forward-looking timeline suggests that Merck plans to maintain the Montreal hub as a recurring node in a growing North American MDSS network, rather than a one-off expansion. For readers who want the latest dates and eligibility criteria, the official MDSS program page provides the most current details and deadlines. (mds.studio)

What to watch in the coming months

From a practical standpoint, several indicators will signal how the Montreal MDSS expansion is performing in its second year. First, the quality and progression of startups—how many secure follow-on funding rounds, pilot collaborations with Merck, or in-house development milestones—will be a core metric. Second, the cross-border collaboration angle will be visible in the number and depth of partnerships formed between Canadian and U.S. startups, including co-development agreements and joint pilots. Third, policy and ecosystem engagement—such as government funding, regional partnerships with universities and research institutes, and participation from Montreal-based accelerators—will indicate whether MDSS Montreal is creating a sustainable pipeline rather than a one-time project. The March 2026 release provides a framework for understanding these dynamics, but the ongoing results will come from the startups’ trajectories and the partnerships they forge in the MDSS ecosystem. (merck.com)

Next Steps for Stakeholders

For startups: applying, preparing, and engaging

For startups seeking entry into the MDSS program, the 2027 cohort cycle (with applications opening October 1, 2026) marks another potential pathway into Merck’s ecosystem. Startups should plan to showcase digital health scalability, AI-enabled drug discovery capabilities, or translational platforms with clear patient impact and a defined collaboration path with Merck or its regional partners. The MDSS program emphasizes mentorship, access to domain experts, and the potential for future equity investment via SAFE agreements. Startups should prepare a strong value proposition, clear milestones, and a plan for how a nine-month MDSS program could accelerate their development timeline and de-risk subsequent fundraising rounds. The program’s official page offers application details, eligibility criteria, and timelines. (mds.studio)

For investors and policymakers: monitoring the MDSS Montreal trajectory

Investors and policymakers should track how MDSS Montreal’s 2025 inaugural cohort and 2026 second cohort translate into measurable outcomes—pilot projects with Merck teams, accelerated product development cycles, and scalable business models that attract further private funding. The venture ecosystem partners involved in MDSS—CQDM, TVC, and Centech—are all investing in shared infrastructure and networks that can reduce the time from concept to clinical impact. The Canadian and Quebec governments’ continued support will be a critical barometer of MDSS Montreal’s legitimacy and long-term viability as a cross-border innovation hub. The public-facing statements from Merck and its partners provide a baseline for evaluating progress as the program matures. (merck.com)

For researchers and practitioners: translating MDSS outcomes into patient impact

Ultimately, the MDSS Montreal expansion aims to translate digital innovations into real-world patient benefits. The focus areas—preventive health, biologics platform development, and 3D translational disease models—align with broader scientific and clinical needs in an era of AI-enabled drug discovery. Observers will want to watch for evidence of improved translational accuracy, faster iteration cycles in preclinical studies, and more robust computational methodologies that can be generalized beyond the MDSS cohort. The program’s emphasis on rigorous mentorship and structured collaboration with Merck scientists increases the likelihood that selected startups will produce durable, scalable solutions rather than isolated demonstrations. As the program grows, researchers and clinicians should look for published case studies or partner-led pilots that demonstrate the practical, patient-centered outcomes of the MDSS Montreal expansion. (merck.com)

Closing

The Merck Digital Sciences Studio Montreal expansion represents a deliberate step in Merck’s North American strategy to fuse AI, data science and life sciences into a scalable startup ecosystem. The second Montreal cohort anchors a cross-border collaboration model that combines Canadian talent with U.S. capital, mentorship, and industry access, creating a unique pipeline for translational digital health innovations. Montreal International and other regional partners have highlighted the city’s growing role as a hub for biopharma innovation, AI, and digital health—an ecosystem that MDSS Montreal is now formally financing and integrating into Merck’s global portfolio. As the program continues to unfold, observers should watch for the startups’ progress, the depth of cross-border collaborations, and the broader economic and patient-health implications of MDSS Montreal’s ongoing expansion. For ongoing updates, readers should follow Merck Canada’s newsroom and MDSS program pages, and monitor the public milestones announced by CQDM, Centech, and TVC as the ecosystem evolves. (merck.com)