Funding Opportunities: Commercialization

Welcome to the LDFP Commercialization Opportunity Index. The University of Toronto and local commercialization community offer multiple programs, competitions, resources, and services to help LDFP researchers and trainees translate their discoveries into commercial ventures. Please contact a member of the LDFP research office for more information (Mike Folinas, Sam D’Alfonso, or Lia Cardarelli).

Commercialization Resources

Commercialization Opportunities

BioCreate

BioCreate is a five-year, $11.6-million project funded by Ontario Genomics and the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), providing financial support and business guidance to start-ups to help move the province’s biotechnology scene forward.

Ontario Genomics’ BioCreate program is open to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in southern Ontario seeking to commercialize genomics and engineering biology enabled products and/or technologies in the health, food and agriculture, and cleantech sectors who have achieved a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4+. BioCreate will provide funding, access to mentorship and business support to enable companies to raise additional financing to achieve commercial outcomes.

The multi-phase BioCreate program will include direct, non-repayable funding of $150,000 that will be matched by an additional $100,000 (minimum – cash and/or in-kind) from participating companies to a total project size of $250,000 or more. Funded companies will have access to 18-months of intensive business mentorship and access to critical infrastructure provided by Ontario Genomics’ (OG’s) strategic sectoral and regional partnerships. Each cohort will conclude with an investor showcase, giving the companies an opportunity to pitch to investors and potential partners. BioCreate will support up to 32 high-potential companies over five years with seven total cohorts (rolling intake with funding decisions twice per year).

Deadline to submit intake form to be considered for Cohort 6/7 is July 31, 2025.

See website for full details.

Entrepreneurship for Commercialization of Health Opportunities (ECHO) – Call for Applications

Announcing the launch of the newly rebranded ECHO Program and the opening of applications for the 2025–2026 cohort.

ECHO is a specialized national training program that provides entrepreneurship training, mentorship, partnership and funding opportunities for early ventures in the health sector. Now led by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine in partnership with the Translational Biology and Engineering Program at the Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research, ECHO preserves its strong cardiovascular foundation while expanding its support to innovators across all health disciplines.

What we offer?

A 12-month online training program featuring five complementary modules delivered by veteran entrepreneurs and consultants across a variety of sectors:

Module 1 - Principles of Entrepreneurship: Workshops on fundamental entrepreneurship business principles. (Oct – Dec 2025)

Module 2 - Health Venture Rounds: Workshops offering specialized knowledge required to navigate the complexities of health innovation and commercialization. (Jan – Jun 2026)

Module 3 - Lessons from Leaders: A webinar series featuring successful entrepreneurs and business leaders who share their experiences in commercializing technologies within the health sector. (Jan – Jun 2026)

Module 4 - Community of Mentors: All selected ventures become clients of the Health Innovation Hub (H2i), Temerty Medicine's health accelerator, with access to its full suite of resources.

Module 5 - Ignite Startup Funding: The program concludes with pitch training, mentorship and ECHO PITCH 2026, a public pitch competition, where ventures can win up to $100,000 per stream. (Jul – Oct 2026)

Who is eligible?

Applicants must apply through one of two distinct streams:

Cardiovascular Stream: Open to Canada-based researchers, scientists, clinicians, trainees or entrepreneurs developing cardiovascular technologies.
General Health Stream: Open to researchers, scientists and trainees developing health technologies outside the cardiovascular field. Applicants must either hold a primary appointment at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine or be supervised by a faculty member with a primary appointment at Temerty Medicine. While this stream is initially limited to Temerty-affiliated applicants, the program will explore expanding eligibility through future partnerships.

How to apply?

Application: Complete the following two forms and submit by 11:59 pm ET on Sunday, August 17, 2025.
- ECHO Application Form: submit to Soror Sharifpoor
- H2i Venture Application Form: submit online
b) Interviews: Interviews will commence September 2025 for select applicants. The program begins October 2025.

For full program information and enrolment instructions, please visit the ECHO program page or contact Soror Sharifpoor (Director, Commercialization & Partnerships, Temerty Faculty of Medicine).

Genome Canada: Genomic Applications Partnership Program

As a core delivery instrument of the Canadian Genomics Strategy, Genome Canada’s Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) funds research and development projects that support public-private innovation. Each project involves collaborations between academic researchers and industry receptors—organizations positioned to apply research outcomes to address market opportunities or operational needs that have been identified by the private sector.

These projects help leverage public investment in innovation, encourage industry investment in genomics and biotechnology research in Canada, and generate co-investment in market-driven research and development (R&D).

Applicants can request up to one-third of the project budget from Genome Canada. Genome Canada's total contribution to an approved project must be at least $300,000. The maximum contribution is $2 million. The structure of the funding plan follows an one to two co-funding ratio (Genome Canada to all co-funding sources) and private partner contributions that are equal to or greater than Genome Canada's contribution. To be eligible for the GAPP, a project must meet all the following criteria:

The project focuses on an innovation need defined by a receptor. A receptor is a Canadian for-profit enterprise with an economic interest in developing an idea or research into a commercial application. The receptor must satisfy specific requirements as to ownership, control and independence.
It is partnership between a receptor and researcher (and, optionally, additional partners), with active and necessary roles for all partners
The receptor acts as Project Leader and is a Canadian for-profit enterprise (FPE).
The researcher acts as Administrative Project Leader and is employed by an eligible institution
The project supports the invention, development or commercialization of a genomics-based or -enabled, biotechnological innovation with a clearly articulated market opportunity.
It will result in commercial and/or intellectual property (IP) outcomes that benefit the receptor.
It has the potential to generate social and economic impacts and benefits

The GAPP is not intended to fund:

Market research
Commercial launches of already-developed technology
Patent enforcement or litigation
Projects, project components or service provision (e.g., routine analyses or certain types of clinical trials) that would normally be funded solely by the receptor

Projects must also confirm that they meet the GAPP eligibility criteria, particularly the definition of an eligible receptor. If they do not yet meet the criteria, they must clearly demonstrate and provide an overview of how they intend to do so by the start date of the project.

Letter of Intent (LOI) - DUE: July 24, 2025

The Letter of Intent should summarize the proposed project and its value proposition and describe the innovation, market opportunity, and proposed path to commercialization. It must clearly articulate if and how genomics is involved and the proposed innovation.

Depending on the nature of the proposed innovation and its target market, applicants are urged to present a high-level business case in which teams address the following five key questions:

What is the receptor’s need or opportunity? What is the proposed innovation and its feasibility? What is the market opportunity and how is it validated? What is the approach to commercialization? Why should investors be confident that this team will deliver on project objectives?

All stages of application are administered through Ontario Genomics.

For more information please visit:

https://www.ontariogenomics.ca/funding-opportunity/gapp-genomic-applications-partnership-program/

Intellectual Property Education Program

UofT’s IP Education Program introduces the different types of IP, how to protect it, and how to get the most value from it.

The online program was built by UofT Entrepreneurship (UTE) and the Innovations & Partnerships Office (IPO) with input from legal professionals and entrepreneurs.

Divided into two complimentary levels, IP Foundations and IP Strategy and Application, the program is integrated with Quercus (U of T’s online learning portal), allowing for inclusion into assignments, workshops, or classroom settings. In addition, U of T students who complete a module can have it recognized on their Co-curricular Record (CCR).

Program overview:

Level 1: IP Foundations

Intro to patents, trademarks, copyright, industrial design, and trade secrets.
Requires no prior knowledge and can be completed in ~2 hours.
Endorsed by the Province of Ontario’s IP Action Plan.

Level 2: IP Strategy and Application

IP strategy and commercialization, including best practices for inventors and entrepreneurs.

Learners must complete Level 1 before advancing to Level 2.

Intellectual Property: Protect, License and Fund with IPO

The Innovations & Partnerships Office (IPO) is your first stop for research commercialization at U of T. IPO helps turn innovations into patents, licenses, and startups, building successful relationships between researchers, industry, and investors.

What you need to know:

It starts with a disclosure: If a new technology, method, or product was created using U of T facilities or funding administered by U of T, a Confidential Invention Disclosure is your first step toward commercializing your research.
Ownership: U of T has a modern, flexible invention policy that is ‘Inventor’s Choice’ – in absence of pre-existing IP rights, inventors may choose to take personal ownership, or have U of T lead commercialization.
Intellectual property (IP) and patents: While there are many types of IP, patents may be affected by presenting and publishing. It is best to involve IPO early to help review, file, and protect your invention.
Funding: IPO can help maximize budgets by licensing technologies and leveraging internal, public, and private funding opportunities for research and startups.
Network: Access U of T’s growing international network of industry, mentors, and VCs to support technology validation, product development, and go-to-market.

In 2021, U of T inventors made over 180 invention disclosures, with IPO managing 74 priority patent applications, more than 39 licensing and option agreements, and 290 ongoing commercialization projects. In the last 5 years, companies based on U of T Research have secured more than $1.5 billion in investment and capital.

Learn more and get started @ uoft.me/inventors

NSERC Alliance Society - Funding Update

Alliance Society grants support research projects that address challenges at the intersection of natural sciences, engineering and society. These grants have supported over 80 projects, delivered in partnership with more than 600 non-academic organizations. At this time, NSERC is experiencing unprecedented interest and demand for Alliance Grants and is reviewing and refining funding opportunities in a competitive context.

NSERC is reducing the maximum annual request for Alliance Society grants to $500,000 per year as of December 1,2025 at 8:00 pm (ET).

In this context, the role of the Public Value Impact Proposition (PIVP) Selection Committee will be expanded. Along with assessing applications for their fit to the objectives of Alliance Society, the Committee will also provide funding recommendations to NSERC following the merit assessment of each proposal. This change will come into effect for proposals submitted after December 1, 2025 at 8:00pm (ET).

Please note that the maximum annual request for Alliance Advantage grants remains at $1,000,000 per year.

For detailed information about NSERC Alliance Society : https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/Innovate-Innover/Alliance_society-Alliance_societe/index_eng.asp

OBIO Women in Health Initiative Seed Program

The OBIO Women in Health Initiative (WiHI) Seed Program is a 6-month program designed to support early-stage, women-led health science companies. Participants will receive comprehensive advisory, coaching and networking opportunities to accelerate their growth. As a crucial boost to their development, each selected company will also receive up to $10,000 CAD in grant funding. Towards the end of the program, selected companies will be invited to pitch for an equity investment.

Applications will be accepted until Friday, August 29.

Learn more and apply now: https://www.obio.ca/wihi-seed-program

OCI Life Sciences Innovation Fund

Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) Life Sciences Innovation Fund is an early-stage co-investment fund that supports companies in Life Sciences and Healthcare Technologies sectors related to human health. The fund is aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by life sciences entrepreneurs moving innovative and capital-intensive investments from a conceptual stage through to commercialization. Through the fund, OCI co-invests with angel and other investors to help de-risk the opportunity, assisting start-ups in becoming investor and customer ready and allowing them to attract follow-on investment.

ABOUT THE FUND

Eligible companies will receive up to $500,000 in early stage risk capital to scale their made-in-Ontario health solution both at home and in global markets. This will further grow the sector and strengthen its competitiveness in key areas such as cancer treatment, regenerative medicine, neuroscience and medical technologies.

BEST SUITED FOR LIFE SCIENCES AND HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGIES COMPANIES RELATED TO HUMAN HEALTH THAT:

Are Ontario or Canadian incorporated for-profit companies headquartered in Ontario
Currently raising a pre-seed or seed investments (total round sizes ranging from $1 million to $5 million)
Have raised less than $3 million in third-party capital

Learn more.

ONRamp: call to join

Looking for a community and workspace to build your business? Welcome to ONRamp@UTE! Located at the Banting Institute in the heart of downtown Toronto, ONRamp is a 15,000 square foot collaboration and co-working space for the U of T entrepreneurship community.

ONRamp connects innovative students, their startups and U of T Accelerators across U of T’s tri-campus.

Through access to facilities, events, and the business community in downtown Toronto, ONRamp helps to accelerate venture creation, learning and impact.

Members of ONRamp have access to three floors of co-working space, meeting rooms, event space, and amenities – located steps from the intersection of College and University.

Reception desk
Networking lounge
Business centre
RBC Hub event space
Access to two kitchens, 14 meeting rooms, 80 workstations, 4 phone booths
24/7 member access

Apply for a membership.

SpinUP: 2025 Merck Blue Ticket

The 2025 Merck Blue Ticket will provide one early-stage life science startup with:

Mentorship opportunities with Merck’s scientists and business leaders
Free 1-year membership at SpinUp, U of T’s first wet-lab incubator for life science innovation

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

Candidate startups must meet SpinUp eligibility criteria.

Merck is eager to work with innovators who share the same commitment to cutting-edge science, regardless of therapeutic area or modality, and are looking to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives. Of note, Merck’s – core areas of focus include:

Atherosclerosis & Metabolism
Cardiovascular & Respiratory
Immunology
Infectious Diseases & Vaccines
Neuroscience & Ophthalmology
Oncology

Learn more about Merck Research here.

To apply for the 2025 Merck Blue Ticket award, please complete this form by July 14th, 2025 (11:59pm EST) using only non-confidential information.

The winning startup will become a SpinUp member, and will be offered scientific and business mentorship by Merck.

Applications due: July 14th, 2025. Semi-finalists will be selected in August 2025.

See the SpinUp Blue Ticket website for more details.