Community Commitment
EMD Serono, Inc. is committed to people. This includes the patients that we serve and the people who share the communities in which we live and work. We believe that our employees and our business can thrive only when those around us are succeeding in life, education and commerce. Consequently, we take very seriously our role in helping to strengthen the communities where we operate. Through a variety of philanthropic initiatives and by partnering with organizations in need, EMD Serono's US employees take pride in giving back to their communities and making a difference in people’s everyday lives.
As a leading biopharmaceutical company in Massachusetts, EMD Serono is an active participant in the Boston and South Shore business communities. We collaborate with Boston-based academic institutions, researchers, hospitals, and biotechnology companies as well as industry and advocacy organizations. Our employees turn out in force in support of patient advocacy efforts related to our therapeutic areas, such as the AIDS Walk, American Cancer Society's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk, MS Walk, as well as the Cape Cod Getaway and Tour of the Vineyard, both cycling events to raise money for MS patients.
Key programs sponsored by EMD Serono, in support of the company’s commitment to science education and building the workforce of tomorrow in the life sciences industry include:
- The National Biotechnology Teacher-Leader Program, an annual professional development program for science teachers that focuses on best practices in biotechnology and curriculum development.
- Since 2003, the EMD Serono Research Center, Inc. has been involved in bringing science to Billerica, Massachusetts elementary school children through a program entitled “The Bacteria Around You” (BAY). The BAY program, which is offered annually, includes EMD Serono scientists volunteering their time and expertise to help students conduct and participate in a variety of experiments that identify bacteria in the environment.
The students conduct the following five experiments on agar plates during one session: test dirty hands vs. washed hands; sample the classroom for bacteria; set up unknown bacteria on five nutritionally different agar plates; test levels of filtrated water and test which house-hold products kill E. coli bacteria most effectively. Then the students have the opportunity to interpret the results (which are colorful and smelly!), examine gram stains under the microscope, and make DNA strands from candy. At the end of the program, each student receives a certificate of completion, as well as safety glasses, clean gloves and a reusable EMD Serono bag.
The BAY program was started through a Massachusetts Biotech Council community outreach program and has been offered to Cambridge and Andover elementary schools for the past 14 years, and most recently, Billerica. EMD Serono expects to introduce and volunteer for the BAY program in Rockland, Massachusetts as well beginning in 2010.
- MassBioEd, a program designed to integrate biotechnology into every Massachusetts high school. This includes equipment, supplies and curricula that provide hands-on access to biotechnology, to give students a better understanding of the career opportunities available to them in life sciences.
- School Visits and EMD SRI Tours, a program in which members of the EMD Serono Research Institute visit local high schools to talk about careers in biotechnology. The program also brings local teachers to EMD SRI, affording them the opportunity to meet with scientists, receive hands-on lab experience and learn about careers in biotechnology.
Organizations in which EMD Serono serves on the Board of Directors include:
- Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
- Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO)
- Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
- MassBioEd
- New England Healthcare Institute
- Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association
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