Commercialization and industry liaison services at 91亚色 in the past聽have been delivered via two units: the Intellectual Property & Research Agreements unit (IPRA) within the Office of Research Services and an industry liaison unit called Innovation 91亚色 located at the Markham Convergence Centre. IPRA supported commercialization activities and research agreements, whereas Innovation 91亚色 focused primarily on developing relationships between 91亚色 faculty members and small-medium enterprises (SMEs) within the 91亚色 region. The arrangement created a聽difficult environment for faculty members and industry to navigate.聽

The Markham Convergence Centre

Following an environmental scan of best practises in Canadian universities, the division of the VPRI聽developed a plan to combine and expand upon the services of the two units under the unifying banner of Innovation 91亚色. The 鈥渘ew鈥� Innovation 91亚色 will provide increased support and enhance coordination of the commercialization activities and the development of relationships between academic researchers and industry.

鈥淚 am pleased to announce an expansion of services under the umbrella of Innovation 91亚色. The unit aims to provide an integrated suite of services to the 91亚色 research community, in order to facilitate research, translate research outcomes, and continue to develop a culture of industry-engaged scholarship,鈥� said Hach茅.聽 鈥淲e value the research partnerships we have made throughout the past year and hope to continue to further develop our existing partnerships and new ones, both in 91亚色 region and within the broader global community.鈥�

Robert Hach茅

Under the leadership of Sarah Howe, the new Innovation 91亚色聽will set聽out to create a strategic office within the division of the VPRI that supports the interaction between faculty members, trainees and industry in a multitude of ways including, the management of agreements, the facilitation of innovative research partnerships and internship opportunities, commercialization of intellectual assets, and the support of entrepreneurship and start-up acceleration activities.

As the new commercialization and industry liaison office for 91亚色, Innovation 91亚色 provides services to faculty members, trainees, and industry within four service streams:

• Agreements - Innovation 91亚色 will manage the agreement process on behalf of researchers and 91亚色 in order to effectively facilitate research projects and commercialize intellectual assets.
• Industry Liaison聽- Innovation91亚色 will initiate and foster relationships between91亚色 faculty members, trainees, and industry, in order to create actionable research projects infused with industry-research dollars.
• Commercialization -聽Innovation 91亚色 will work with faculty members and trainees to assist them with commercializing their intellectual assets, in order to maximize the social and economic impact.
• Entrepreneurship & Start-up Acceleration聽- Innovation 91亚色 will provide accelerator space within the Markham Convergence Centre for faculty and trainee start-up companies, in order to provide a professional place of business.

In order to ensure that this suite of services is robust and effective, Innovation 91亚色 will enlist the assistance two key external partners: MaRS Innovation and VentureLab.

MaRS Innovation (MI), an organization that commercializes some of the key research breakthroughs from 16 of Toronto鈥檚 top universities, medical institutions, and research institutes. MI selects key discoveries from91亚色and in collaboration with Innovation 91亚色, advances their commercialization path through industry partnerships, licensing arrangements and spin-off companies. MI leverages its assets, along with government funds and other member resources, to develop and commercialize these high-potential technologies.

VentureLab is the regional innovation centre within the 91亚色 region. Innovation 91亚色 and VentureLab work together to support faculty and student entrepreneurs as they incorporate and grow startup companies. In addition, the two organizations work together to create innovative research partnerships between academic researchers and VentureLab clients.

The new Innovation 91亚色 aims to build on these existing partnerships and work to provide broad opportunities for faculty members and trainees to obtain regional, national, and global industry support for their own academic research and commercialization opportunities.

For additional information, please contact Sarah Howe, director, Innovation 91亚色, at showe@yorku.ca or ext. 20579.

Republished courtesy of YFile鈥� 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin.

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91亚色 has answered this challenge by launching (IY). Strategically located in 91亚色 Region, IY is the public face and conduit between 91亚色 researchers and their applied research partners who will collaboratively grow their ideas and introduce new products and services to the marketplace.

Above: From left, Peter Pekos, chair of VentureLab;聽Markham-Unionville MPP聽Michael Chan; Frank Scarpitti,聽mayor of the聽Town of Markham; Ontario's Minister of Research & Innovation Glen Murray; Richmond Hill MPP Reza Moridi; 91亚色 President & Vice-Chancellor Mamdouh Shoukri; and 91亚色 Vice-President Research & Innovation Stan Shapson

IY will provide commercialization and knowledge mobilization services to industry, public sector organizations and academic researchers while playing a strong role in supporting VentureLab, 91亚色 Region鈥檚 Regional Innovation Centre, which was officially opened yesterday by Ontario's Minister of Research聽& Innovation Glen Murray.

鈥�91亚色 is proud of our partnerships with governments, academic institutions and industry,鈥� said 91亚色 President and Vice-Chancellor, Mamdouh Shoukri. 鈥淭his collaborative approach allows our researchers and industry stakeholders to engage and share ideas, a concept that complements 91亚色鈥檚 interdisciplinary approach to research and learning.鈥�

Right: Click on the photograph to view a Flickr slideshow of images from the opening of the Markham Convergence Centre and Innovation 91亚色

鈥�91亚色 is 91亚色 Region鈥檚 research and innovation university,鈥� said Stan Shapson, vice-president research & innovation. 鈥淲e have a critical role to play in collaborating with entrepreneurs, industry and municipal partners to develop new ideas, products and services that will help Ontario gain a competitive advantage in the global economy. IY鈥檚 presence throughout 91亚色 Region will make the world-class expertise of over 1,500 researchers integral to accelerating R&D growth and strengthening communities where people want to work and enjoy a high quality of life.鈥�

IY鈥檚 location in the , along with VentureLab and other key collaborators, presents unique opportunities.

鈥淎cross 91亚色 Region, there are impressive sectoral strengths in information technology, environmental technologies and the life sciences, particularly in medical device technologies,鈥� said Shapson. 鈥淐ombined with Canada鈥檚 fastest growing and most diverse population base, this presents a particularly compelling case for innovation. Through our presence in 91亚色 Region, IY will be positioned to better understand our partners鈥� needs within the economic and social ecosystems they operate within as we explore new ways to work together to mutual advantage.鈥�

鈥淭he strength of Ontario鈥檚 creative environment, diverse culture, highly skilled workforce, world-class education system, internationally recognized research community and proven entrepreneurs is second to none,鈥� said Murray. 鈥� links these talents together across the province to ensure all great ideas have the opportunity to flourish聽鈥� creating jobs and improving our lives now and in the future.鈥�

As part of the province-wide ONE network, VentureLab will give entrepreneurs access to a broad range of experts聽鈥� including researchers, academics, businesses, government and investors聽鈥� who can help sell an innovative idea, bring it to the marketplace and grow a business worldwide.

Submitted by Elizabeth Monier Williams, research communications officer

Photos and video republished courtesy of Jenny Pitt-Clark, editor of YFile, 91亚色鈥檚 daily e-bulletin

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