Life sciences company MSD (known as Merck in the U.S. and Canada) has entered into a strategic partnership with the University of Copenhagen and the Capital Region. The Capital Region is one of five regional governing bodies in Denmark assigned to region-wide issues such as health care. This strategic partnership comes soon after a similar agreement with Novartis earlier this year and yet another one with GSK in 2012. The aim is to ensure that there is a reciprocal support between research and development at the hospitals in the Capital Region and the life sciences industry.

 MSD will have a major focus on clinical trials and research pertaining to diabetes, with the stated goal of reversing the increase in patients diagnosed with type 2-diabetes. In a press release, MSD notes that “one of the ambitions with the partnership is to make Copenhagen the center for clinical trials,” and further that Denmark should become “the leading country in the world in the utilization of health data and health registers.”

The partnership with MSD covers a five-year period.