21 September 2026
Olivia Merkel receives UNIPRENEURS Award
Germany’s highest distinction for academic entrepreneurship goes to expert in RNA drug delivery
Professor Olivia Merkel, Chair of Drug Delivery at LMU’s Faculty of Chemistry and Pharmacy, has received the 2026 UNIPRENEURS Award. The initiative honors professors who have shown exceptional commitment to entrepreneurship and supporting academic spin-offs at German universities. The award ceremony took place on 22 September 2026 in the Allianz Forum at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, under the patronage of Federal Ministers Dorothee Bär and Katherina Reiche.
LMU Press Release
LMU Press Release
Olivia Merkel has been researching novel, nonviral nanoscale RNA delivery systems for many years. Her primary focus has been on targeted drug delivery via the lungs, with applications in areas such as cancer immunotherapy and the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases. Building on this research, which was awarded funding from various quarters, including a Starting Grant and a Proof of Concept Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) and support from the LMU Knowledge Transfer Fund, she co-founded the spin-off RNhale in 2023. The Munich-based company is developing inhalable RNA therapeutics for treating the underlying causes of asthma and COP and was in March 2025 awarded a €2.5 million Transition Grant by the European Innovation Council (EIC).