Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany has agreed to acquire Bio‑Techne Corporation, a Minneapolis-based provider of life science tools, analytical technologies and consumables, in a move aimed at expanding its position across next‑generation biology workflows. The combination would bring together two organizations with complementary strengths spanning discovery, translational research, development, testing and commercial manufacturing, and is intended to support customers “from lab bench to bioprocessing” in areas such as multi‑omics, spatial biology, precision diagnostics and cell and gene therapy.
Bio‑Techne would add a broad portfolio built over 50 years in proteomics and related technologies, including recombinant cytokines and growth factors, antibodies, immunoassay kits and other reagents used widely in research and development. The planned acquisition also encompasses ProteinSimple, Bio‑Techne’s business in automated protein detection and analysis instruments, which would bolster Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s analytical and bioprocess solutions. In addition, Bio‑Techne’s RNAscope and related in situ hybridization platforms would strengthen capabilities in spatial biology and diagnostics, while its offerings in materials, analytics and process technologies for cell therapy developers would extend Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s reach into advanced therapeutics.
Executives from both companies said the transaction is designed to deepen scientific and technical capacity and to support increasingly complex customer demands. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany described the planned deal as a key step in its mid‑ to long‑term strategy, which emphasizes high‑growth value drivers, integrated workflows, platform capabilities and sourcing innovation through acquisitions. The company said Bio‑Techne would enhance its Discovery Solutions, Advanced Solutions and Process Solutions business lines and create a more comprehensive life science offering that spans research tools through to bioprocessing and manufacturing.
The combination is also expected to create organizational and geographic benefits. Bio‑Techne, which generated more than US$1.2 billion in net sales in fiscal 2025, employs more than 3,000 people—about 2,300 of them in the United States—and operates 34 locations and 15 manufacturing facilities across the U.S., Canada, the UK, Switzerland and China. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany currently employs over 14,000 people in the U.S. and has invested more than US$35 billion (EUR 30 billion) in acquisitions over the past two decades, including Millipore, Sigma‑Aldrich, Versum and, most recently, SpringWorks Therapeutics. The company said Bio‑Techne’s workforce would gain access to its global life science infrastructure, expanded international networks and larger‑scale innovation programs.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Bio‑Techne shareholders will receive US$73 per share in cash, valuing the company at an enterprise total of approximately US$11.3 billion (EUR 9.9 billion), a 36% premium to its one‑month volume‑weighted average trading price. The transaction, which has been approved by Bio‑Techne’s board of directors and the relevant corporate bodies of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, is expected to close by late 2026 or early 2027, subject to customary regulatory approvals and approval by Bio‑Techne shareholders. Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany plans to finance the acquisition with a mix of existing cash and new debt and aims to maintain a strong investment‑grade credit rating. The company projects that the deal will be immediately accretive to sales growth and EBITDA pre‑margin after closing and will be accretive to EPS pre by the third year, with annual cost synergies of about EUR 140 million expected to be fully realized by year three.
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