MSD (known as Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, N.J., USA in the United States and Canada) in India has announced the awarding of scholarships to 50 students under its corporate social responsibility initiative ‘Scholarship for Daughters’ programme, a merit-based initiative aimed at supporting young women from underserved communities to pursue a Bachelor of Pharmacy degree at select accredited pharmacy colleges across India.
Following a competitive selection process, which included aptitude assessments and personal interviews, a cohort of 50 eligible young scholars have been selected for the programme this year.
Building on its inaugural year, MSD India, in partnership with Smile Foundation launched the second year of the program to empower young girls to pursue pharmacy education. Designed as a holistic initiative, the program provides comprehensive financial assistance, including course fee support for the entire four-year undergraduate course.
Scholars also receive essential academic resources such as laptops, along with soft-skills training, mentorship, career counselling and interview preparation to help ensure they are better prepared to transition from academia to the professional world.
Commenting on the initiative, Brecht Vanneste, Managing Director, MSD India said, “The ‘Scholarship for Daughters’ programme brings this commitment to life by expanding access to education, and opportunity. As we enter the second year of the initiative and welcome an even larger cohort of talented young scholars, we are inspired by their ambition and resilience. By investing in the next generation of women leaders, we aim to support a positive impact not only for these scholars, but also for the communities and they future they will help shape.”
