This fall, four Queen’s research teams had the opportunity to take part in a national-level pilot program designed to aid them in bringing their ideas to market. Aptly named Lab2Market (L2M), the program was delivered jointly by Dalhousie University, Memorial University, and Ryerson University.

Eighteen teams from seven universities (Dalhousie University, McMaster University, Queen’s University, Ryerson University, York University, University of Waterloo, and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology) took part in the program, with each participating team tackling its own unique problem using their research and technology. Each team received programming that led them through the process of how to bring their product to market, getting feedback from customers as well as how to pitch and find financing for their business.

Launched by Ryerson University in September 2020, three teams from Queen’s was part of the first cohort of the L2M program. Another cohort, including one team from Queen’s, is completing the program through Dalhousie University.

“We heard about L2M through Queen’s Partnerships and Innovation,” says Philip Jessop from Queen’s University’s Department of Chemistry. “Our PhD student Jaddie Ho, who participated in the Toronto cohort has found the program invaluable in how to bring their research into a commercial product.”

Ho’s project involved CO2-responsive agents for protective coatings. Other teams from Queen’s who participated in the program include Adnan El Makdah and Kai Zhang who are working on a hybrid low-inertia turbine storage system (HITSS); Yang Chen, working on a 65W digital PD (power delivery) adapter; and Joshua Galler, who is participating in the Dalhousie cohort, is working on a passive airborne sensor system.

“With several programs and experts available to support innovation, Queen’s University is delighted to see four teams selected to participate in the first L2M program, a national level cohort-based program,” says Jim Banting, Assistant Vice-Principal (Partnerships and Innovation). “Professors Philip Jessop, Michael Cunningham, David Rival, and Yan-Fei Liu, the four faculty members who are supervising the Queen’s participants, are prime examples of researchers and inventors who work closely with the innovation and knowledge mobilization support available at Queen’s. Faculty members and students participating in these types of programs will provide the ‘hands-on’ experience for these teams to help grow Canada’s knowledge-based economy.”

As this cohort is wrapping up, there is opportunity to take part in a future L2M cohort. The next Toronto Lab2Market team will be running an industry agnostic cohort to support researchers and entrepreneurs in their journey of validating their idea, using the lean methodology. The application for this cohort opens in February 2021 for participation in the May 2021 program.