National grant program to benefit entrepreneurial and commercial activities at U of L
Article by Justin Goulet from the University of Lethbridge. Full article is available here.
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The University of Lethbridge will benefit from some funding from the federal government.
On Wednesday, January 15, $95.3 million in Lab to Market grants were announced to help four networks of post-secondary institutions and organizations from private, public, non-profit and health services sectors.
Grants will be administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, along with contributions from Mitacs.
“Lab to Market grants bridge the gap between research ideas and their translation into economic and social innovation,” says Alejandro Adem, FRSC, President, NSERC.
“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.”
U of L researchers are part of two collectives, including 30 colleges and universities that make up the Red River College Polytechnic – College-University Lab to Market Network for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization group.
The other collective is Lab2Market: Canada’s National Network for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship Skills Training for Students, Researchers and Highly Qualified Persons, led by Dalhousie University.
“Our researchers have demonstrated time and again that their work is world-leading, innovative and can drive economic advancement and societal change,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, U of L vice-president of research.
“These grants will open doors for them in terms of access to the tools, resources and expertise they need to transfer scientific, social, and service innovation to market or to community users,” McMartin adds.
Supports available through the Lab to Market program are digital resources to help with commercialization processes, mentorship and business coaching, financial assistance and opportunities to collaborate and share best practices with others.
“These skills are essential to bringing their great ideas forward and creating the positive societal impact we are all seeking to achieve,” says McMartin.
The other networks benefitting from funding are:
Simon Fraser University – National Invention to Innovation (i2I) Network
University of Guelph – Sustainable Food Systems for Canada Innovation Platform
The four networks bring 243 partner organizations, collaborators and co-applicants together from across the country.