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Jutta Klauer

MSD IDEA Studio – Pharma and Startup Partnerships to Drive Digital Health Innovation

Healthcare is under pressure—fragmented pathways, workforce gaps, rising costs—while digital solutions race ahead. Real progress happens where capabilities meet: when pharma’s therapeutic expertise and market reach combine with startup speed to bring useful technology into routine care, at scale.

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Partnerships that put the patient at the center—and pair pharma’s strengths with startup agility—turn point solutions into measurable improvements in pathways, outcomes, and efficiency.

Across Europe, funding for digital health is rising even as established players face tighter budgets, stricter data-security demands, and the need for more decentralized care. The direction is clear: precision care, AI-enabled diagnostics, and wider data access (e.g., EHDS) require not just technology, but viable business models and deep integration into real-world systems. That is why MSD launched Idea Studio Europe in 2024—backed by €15 million, designed for co-creation, proof-of-benefit, and implementation with clinicians and health systems. Its early collaborations focus on prevention and awareness, remote monitoring and digital companions, early detection and diagnosis, and digitally enabled clinical trials. The aim is simple and ambitious: move good ideas through evidence into everyday care.

When Partnerships Become Infrastructure:
From Pilots to Patient Impact

What you’ll learn

Why pharma–startup partnerships are now essential to deliver personalized, efficient, and affordable care in strained systems
How MSD’s Idea Studio Europe bridges both worlds—combining venture investment with hands-on innovation experts to co-create, validate, and integrate digital solutions
Where the first focus areas are: awareness & prevention, remote patient monitoring and digital companions, early detection & diagnosis, and clinical trials enablement
What a concrete pathway change looks like (e.g., a NextGen MDT program that unifies data, speeds decisions, and reduces delays in complex oncology care)
Which success factors matter most: patient-centric design, trust and data protection, real-world integration with providers, and long-term, value-driven partnerships

Jutta Klauer is a dynamic leader in digital health innovation, currently at MSD as the Director Strategic Digital Health Partnerships. As the head of the MSD Idea Studio Europe, she drives impactful collaborations and investments in cutting-edge digital health start-ups across Europe. With a decade of experience at Pfizer Germany, where she co-founded the Pfizer Healthcare Hub, Jutta has a proven track record in digital communications strategy and innovation management. She holds an M.A. from H.-H. University Düsseldorf and an MBA from Tias/Nimbas in the Netherlands.