The data below reflect performance for the period 1996–2005. Similar data will be collected for the period 2006–2008.

	1996–2005
$ Merck Company Foundation/Merck investment in UNCF/Merck Science Initiative	$36mm*
Degree completion rates of Fellows
Undergraduate (BA/BS)	99%
PhD	95%
Former undergraduate Fellows who entered graduate school	65%
Former graduate Fellows who entered post-doctoral positions	53%
Employment Outcomes of Graduate Fellows (PhDs)
Academe	43%
Business/Industry	32%
Public Sector	25%
Number of Fellows hired by Merck (2002–2007)	10

*Represents total funding commitment (1996-2010)

Merck has committed more than $36 million to the Science Initiative. To date, over 500 recipients – half of them women – at more than 170 institutions have received fellowships.

In a recent survey, of the Fellows who have entered the work force, 43 percent are in academe and work at an extensive array of institutions that include Ivy League institutions, large state universities and historically black colleges and universities. Nearly 32 percent of Fellows work in industry (pharmaceutical and biotech); and 25 percent work in the public sector. One Fellow was also selected as one of Ebony magazine's “30 on the Rise” 2008 Young Leaders of the Future in 2006.

In 2005, Abt Associates Inc. conducted an external evaluation of the UNCF/ Merck Science Initiative, which found that financial support was most important to Fellows for its ability to allow them to focus full time on their research and study programs. However, recipients also found the non-financial benefits important. In particular, among undergraduate fellows who benefited from two summer internships at Merck Research Laboratories, more than 95 percent reported that they gained new research skills, greater confidence as a researcher, and new knowledge in their field of study.

Fellows also cited the value of opportunities provided through the initiative to develop a network of African-American scientists – with both peers and more advanced scientists. This was consistently reported to be a rare and valuable opportunity. Fellows reported that exposure to industry and mentoring by Merck scientists helped them in their research and increased their awareness about potential job options and career directions.

The content on this page was last modified on September 15, 2009.

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