ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan this week announced that MilliporeSigma, an international biosciences company, is growing its presence in Maryland with a $286 million investment in Montgomery County to expand its biosafety testing capacity.

The company, known locally as BioReliance Corporation, currently has five locations in Rockville and is planning to consolidate in a new 250,000-square-foot facility at 9820 Darnestown Road at the Alexandria Center® at Traville Gateway campus, which is being developed and operated by Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. MilliporeSigma will maintain one additional facility at 9630 Medical Center Drive and will retain at least 600 full-time employees during the expansion, while creating more than 500 new jobs over the next four years.

“Maryland has built one of the nation’s strongest life sciences industries, and having MilliporeSigma reinvest in its Maryland biosafety facility will bring hundreds of more jobs to the Montgomery County community and continue to grow the region’s innovative workforce,” said Governor Hogan. “Our administration has made expanding the state’s life sciences and biotechnology research workforce a priority, and the progress our life sciences industry has made in the last eight years is another sign that Maryland is open for business.”

MilliporeSigma is the U.S. and Canada life science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company. This is the largest investment in contract testing in the history of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

MilliporeSigma has held a presence in Maryland for more than 75 years and is expanding its Mid Atlantic footprint due to Montgomery County’s ideal East Coast location and accessibility to the state’s highly trained and technical workforce. Biosafety testing and analytical development are critical and fundamental requirements of the drug development and commercialization process to ensure the safety of medicines.

“Our full contract testing services facility in Rockville will continue to serve as a hub for innovation to address current challenges and meet tomorrow’s demands,” said Benoit Gourdier, head of contract testing services at MilliporeSigma. “We look forward to continuing to grow here and to giving back to the Montgomery County community as we transform patients’ lives by ensuring the safety of the world’s medicine.”

To assist with the expansion, MilliporeSigma is eligible for a $1 million conditional loan through the Maryland Department of Commerce’s Advantage Maryland (MEDAAF) program. Montgomery County is providing a $100,000 incentive package through a grant convertible to a loan under its Economic Development Fund. MilliporeSigma is also eligible for various state and local tax credits.

“We are truly thankful for MilliporeSigma’s dedication to doing business in Maryland,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Mike Gill. “Building this impressive new space in Rockville ensures the company will continue to flourish in Montgomery County for years to come.”

“We welcome the expansion of MilliporeSigma in Rockville and are proud the company recognizes that its business can continue to grow significantly here in Montgomery County,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Their work helps ensure the safety of medicines developed in the county and around the world.”

About the Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

he Life Science business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as MilliporeSigma in the U.S. and Canada, has more than 26,000 employees and more than 55 manufacturing and testing sites worldwide, with a portfolio of more than 300,000 products focused on scientific discovery, biomanufacturing and testing services. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 60,000 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 advancing gene-editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2021, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany generated sales of € 19.7 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company. Additional information about Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is available at https://www.emdgroup.com.

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