The University of Toronto and local commercialization community offer multiple programs, competitions, resources, and services to help researchers and trainees at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy translate their discoveries into commercial ventures. Please contact a member of the 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
- Centre for Entrepreneurship Venture Mentoring Service
Launch your venture with the support of the Venture Mentoring Service (VMS). This free and confidential program connects you with dedicated mentors who provide the guidance and expertise you need to succeed. Based on the highly effective MIT Venture Mentoring Service, VMS brings a proven model to the U of T community. The VMS program is available to all U of T Arts & Science students, alumni, faculty, and staff who can attend meetings on the St. George campus. The 2026-2027 application period is now open!
- Collaborate2Commercialize (C2C)
The Ontario Centre of Innovation’s Collaborate2Commercialize (C2C) program helps Ontario researchers and industry partners work together to solve real-world business challenges and accelerate the commercialization of innovative technologies and intellectual property. The program supports collaborative R&D projects that leverage the expertise, talent, and specialized infrastructure available at Ontario’s post-secondary institutions and research hospitals.
Why researchers and companies choose C2C:
- Up to $150,000 in project funding
- 1:1 industry matching requirement, with up to 50% of the company contribution eligible as in-kind support
- Close to 90% application success rate
- Fast application processing, typically 6–8 weeks
- Supports industry-academic collaborations with strong commercialization potential
Industry Partner Eligibility
To participate, the industry partner must be:
- An Ontario-based, for-profit company
- Incorporated for at least two years
- Employing 5–499 employees globally
- Maintaining at least 50% of its workforce in Ontario
NSERC-Alliance Stream
Individual proposals can request from $20,000 up to $50,000 from NSERC Alliance grants and from $20,000 up to $50,000 from OCI C2C, with a corresponding $20,000 to $50,000 from the industry partner (at least 50% must be cash provided to the academic institution).
If you are a researcher with an industry partner interested in collaborating on an innovation or commercialization project, please contact Joco Amante at jamante@oc-innovation.ca to discuss eligibility and application opportunities.
Learn more: https://www.oc-innovation.ca/programs/collaborate-2-commercialize/
- Hatchery NEST applications – now open
Join the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering’s Entrepreneurship Hatchery NEST program. A summer bootcamp for the broader U of T community, NEST runs annually from May to August. Teams of students and faculty follow our FEEL™ Methodology, a structured process that defines a business blueprint and its investment potential. The process is supported by a strong advisory board of domain experts. The businesses we foster are grounded in true innovation: building on existing technologies, identifying what must be created, and informing future research directions. Apply before January 31, 2027.
Apply here- 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:
- 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.
- 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
- Together Toronto & Ecosystem Showcase
Join the Together Toronto & Ecosystem Showcase on November 2 to discover 35+ startups from the Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus and Toronto’s innovation community, connect with the organizations supporting startups and commercialization, and explore ways to tap into the ecosystem to advance what you’re building, at the Ecosystem Showcase and Tours. Then join Together Toronto for insights from founders behind some of Canada’s biggest company stories. Offered by the U of T Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus and TechTO.
