Lab2Market Awarded Government of Canada Grant to Propel Innovation and Commercialization Across Canada
HALIFAX, NS (January 15, 2025) – Lab2Market™ is pleased to announce it has been awarded more than $32 million over the next five years from the Government of Canada through the Lab to Market grants, administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
“Lab to Market grants bridge the gap between research ideas and their translation into economic and social innovation,” says Prof. Alejandro Adem, FRSC, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. “The four impressive networks will collectively offer tools and resources for researchers at all levels across the country to develop the skills they need to translate their great ideas into innovations for the benefit of Canadians. I can’t wait to see the results that will emerge from this new initiative.”
This Government of Canada funding for Lab2Market also leverages the Business Strategy Internship program from Mitacs—Canada’s innovation organization that connects businesses with researchers, providing skilled talent, resources, and funding to transform academic breakthroughs into real-world impact.
“Mitacs is pleased to see Lab2Market continue to strengthen Canada’s innovation landscape through hands-on commercialization training,” says Dr. Stephen Lucas, CEO of Mitacs. “Our long-standing collaborations with Lab2Market and i2i programs have confirmed the value of equipping students and postdocs with the skills and mentorship they need to move their ideas into the marketplace. By working alongside partners like NSERC, CIHR, and SSHRC, we can collectively drive economic success, foster cutting-edge research, and develop the next generation of Canadian innovators. We congratulate the entire Lab2Market team on this important milestone.”
Lab2Market is a national network for innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship skills training of students and researchers, providing them with the essential tools, resources, and knowledge to transform academic research and innovative ideas into market opportunities and impact. These immersive, experiential, and nationally standardized training programs develop the mindset, skills, and competencies of students and researchers who go on to transform research-based ideas into innovative solutions and impact, create and grow research-based start-ups, and thrive in industry or other non-academic careers. Lab2Market boosts Canada’s innovative capacity to increase productivity and thus add social and economic value to the private, public, and not-for-profit sectors. For all Canadians, that is the reward and the guarantee of the Lab2Market program.
“Congratulations to Lab2Market on this success. The program exemplifies how collaboration among academic institutions, industry, and partners can turn discoveries into inventions, innovations, and ultimately commercial solutions,” says Dr. Mario Pinto, Vice-President Research, University of Manitoba, and Mitacs Board Member. “By joining forces with Lab2Market, Mitacs is strengthening those critical early stages, ensuring researchers can deliver tangible impact for Canadians.”
In 2020, Dalhousie University, the lead applicant for the funding, partnered with Toronto Metropolitan University to pilot Lab2Market with the support of founding partner Mitacs and additional funding from the Government of Canada's Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) in Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Concordia University integrated the Quebec Scientific Entrepreneurship (QcSE) program into the initiative, which has become L2M Discover outside of Quebec. Throughout the development phase, universities from across Canada joined the Lab2Market network, and cohorts were facilitated in British Columbia, Alberta, the Prairies, and Quebec with additional funding from RDAs, Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ), Global Innovation Clusters, the Ocean Startup Project, NSERC’s Idea to Innovation (I2I), and many other sources. Over the four-year pilot, Lab2Market delivered the program to participants from every province, reaching over 1,000 participants from 40+ academic institutions across Canada, with over 125 companies started by participants after completing the program.
A few success stories coming out of the Lab2Market network include:
Mariam Odetallah, Ph.D. Candidate – University of Manitoba: Developed composite electrode imaging to improve battery performance. Lab2Market provided guidance through customer discovery and market validation, helping her attract attention from Apple Japan and Tesla California. She ultimately chose a role at Tesla’s Mississauga location, leveraging her skills in a leading tech company.
Nabanita Nawar, Ph.D. – University of Toronto: Developed a proprietary HDAC6 binding mechanism aimed to enhance drug-like properties for improved patient outcomes. Lab2Market helped refine her entrepreneurial skills and expanded her network for the successful advancement of her startup. Nabanita co-founded HDAX Therapeutics, raised $5.6 million in funding, and was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in Toronto.
Dr. Rafaela Andrade, Postdoc – Dalhousie University: Created a low-cost urine strip test to detect muscle loss as we age and recover from injury. Lab2Market supported her in translating clinical research into a practical and affordable solution. Dr. Andrade launched Myomar Molecular Inc., received Health Canada clearance, and secured $2M in funding for pilot projects with Canadian Olympic teams and launched the test across Canada in November 2024.
This new funding award from the Government of Canada enables Lab2Market to scale nationally as the network has grown to over 150 partners and collaborators, including a core of more than 50 universities, colleges, and research hospitals, generating almost $7.8 billion in research funding income in 2022–23. Lab2Market combines national coordination and programming standards with decentralized regional delivery. It is a Canada-wide “network of networks” organized around six regional hubs—Pacific, Alberta, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, and Atlantic—and one national health hub focused on health and life sciences. Lab2Market is led by an Executive Committee with representatives from Dalhousie and Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Manitoba, McMaster University, Université Laval, Concordia University, and Memorial University.
“Lab2Market is poised to become Canada’s leading program for research commercialization and venture creation,” says Jeff Larsen, assistant vice president, innovation & entrepreneurship at Dalhousie University and CEO and Principal Investigator of Lab2Market. “We’re thrilled to have the Government of Canada’s support to engage more master’s and PhD students, as well as post-doctoral fellows, equipping them with the innovation and entrepreneurship skills needed during the critical early stages of transitioning academic research into commercialization and real-world impact.”
Lab2Market’s practice-based training is a rigorous, coordinated, and structured continuum of programs where students and researchers engage with industry and communities in experiential learning outside of the classroom or lab. Lab2Market’s Discover, Validate, Launch, and Build programs are based on the proven methodologies and structure of the NSF I-Corps and MIT delta V programs in the United States and ICURe in the United Kingdom. Through Lab2Market programs, participants discover innovation and entrepreneurship, experiencing how to validate their business idea, develop a business and financial model, and build their product design.
“Today’s funding announcement highlights the essential contribution of universities in fostering economic growth,” says John MacRitchie, assistant vice president, Zone Learning and Strategic Initiatives at Toronto Metropolitan University and Chair of the Executive Committee for Lab2Market. “By supporting the expansion of the Lab2Market program, we aim to empower a new generation of researchers in transforming their innovations into solutions for some of the world’s most urgent challenges, while also creating a pipeline of talent and economic opportunities for Canada.”
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Quick Facts
Since 2020, Lab2Market has facilitated programming for over 50 cohorts, including over 1000 participants from over 40 Canadian academic institutions
During the pilot phase of Lab2Market, more than $6.5 million in stipends was provided to students in partnership with Mitacs
Lab2Market integrates EDIA principles into the design, delivery, and recruitment of students, researchers, mentors, advisors, and staff to its programs and is proud to be an endorser of the Government of Canada's Dimensions Charter
42% of teams continuing to pursue commercialization of their research, with more than 133 companies formed, 190 jobs created, and $34.1M in follow-on funding received
About Lab2Market
Lab2Market™ envisions Canada as a global leader in transforming academic research into innovative solutions that drive social impact and economic growth. As a national beacon for innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship, L2M empowers students, researchers, and highly qualified personnel (HQP) through specialized training that bridges the gap between research and real-world applications. Funded by the Government of Canada, Mitacs, and the Ocean Startup Project, Lab2Market draws inspiration from leading programs such as I-Corps and MIT Delta V (U.S.), ICURe (U.K.), and the Quebec Scientific Entrepreneurship Program.
Learn more at www.lab2market.ca
About Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university and co-founder and the lead applicant for Lab2Market. Located in the heart of Halifax, Nova Scotia, with an Agricultural campus in Truro/Bible Hill, Dalhousie is a truly national and international university, with more than half of the university’s 20,000-plus students coming from outside the province. Dal’s 6,000 faculty and staff foster a diverse, purpose-driven community, one that spans 13 faculties and conducts more than $200 million in research annually. Part of a cluster identified as one of the world’s top international centres in ocean research, the university proudly celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2018.
Learn more at www.dal.ca
About Mitacs
As Canada’s innovation organization, Mitacs connects businesses and researchers with unrivaled access to talent, financial support, and the partnerships needed to turn ideas into impactful innovations. Through unique collaborations, Mitacs is driving productivity and positioning Canada as a global innovation leader. Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.
Learn more at www.mitacs.ca
Media Contact
Natalie McMullin, Associate Director
Lab2Market
natalie.mcmullin@dal.ca
416.931.6002
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