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
- University of Toronto Innovations and Partnerships Office (IPO)
- IPO’s "Guide to Technology Transfer"
- IPO's "Researcher’s Guide to Industry Partnerships"
- University of Toronto Libraries Entrepreneurship Support
- PRiME Entrepreneur Resources
- University of Toronto Startup Guidebook
Commercialization Opportunities
- Entrepreneurship Week 2025
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Join U of T’s entrepreneurship community March 3-7, 2025, for a week of events to showcase, celebrate, and reward innovation and startup activity, including:
True Blue Impact Day – a day of high-impact events showcasing U of T startups hosted at the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus. Inspirational stories from women-identifying founders in celebration of International Women’s Day. Tri-campus pitch competitions awarding more than $120k+ in cash prizes to U of T’s top startup founders. Fireside chats and insightful conversations with founders, investors, and industry experts.
All are welcome at this week of public events – students, mentors, alumni, business leaders, investors, and anyone else who wants to be inspired and learn why U of T is the ultimate place to innovate.
UTE Week events are hosted across the tri-campus. There is no general registration for UTE Week as a whole, attendees are required to register separately for each event.
See the website for full details and registration.
- Intellectual Property Education Program
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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:
- 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
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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.
- NSERC Lab2Market Validate
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Lab2Market Validate, formally known as Lab2Market, gives researchers the opportunity to critically test and evaluate their idea in the entrepreneurial landscape. This carefully curated 16-week experience is complemented by funding, exercises, workshops, and mentorship from industry experts – all with exploration at its core. The program will take participants through the process of unlocking the business potential of a research idea – from meeting customers, building a network, and most importantly, developing entrepreneurial grit.
This 4-month, immersive program equips researchers with the tools and guidance to critically evaluate their ideas within the entrepreneurial landscape. Participants will receive:
- $10,000 in funding
- Tailored workshops and exercises
- Hands-on mentorship from seasoned industry experts
- A network of like-minded researchers and entrepreneurs.
Applications for Validate close on March 2nd at 11:59 PM EST. The cohort runs May 12th to August 12th, 2025.
Please notify the Innovations and Partnerships Office of your intent to apply by February 21, 2025.
Please join the information sessions available the week of February 17th to learn more about the program, application tips, and expectations. Email validate@lab2market.ca to request more information
- OCI Life Sciences Innovation Fund
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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
- ONRamp: call to join
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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
- SpinUP 2025 Intake
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On January 27, SpinUp will begin accepting applications to select up to 6 early-stage startups to join our program. Selected startups will begin their SpinUp membership in April, 2025 for a two-year period.
Intake dates*:
Applications open: January 27, 2025, 8:00am EST
Applications close: February 14, 2025, 11:59pm EST
Shortlist candidates notified: March 14, 2025
Shortlist candidate interviews: March 17, 2025 (15 mins; virtual)
Final selection: March 18, 2025
Virtual onboarding: March 18 – April 8, 2025
Move-in: Beginning April 8, 2025
For questions about SpinUp applications, please email spinup@utoronto.ca and visit their website.
*SpinUp opens applications for membership intake on a rolling basis throughout the year, where we select approximately 4 companies to join our program each period. Keep an eye on our newsletter and social channels for new intake announcements.
