INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ONTARIO
Ontario investing $4.6 million to fuel “made-in-Ontario” innovations at colleges and universities

Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON), a provincial agency established in 2022, announced it will provide $4.6 million to build and enhance intellectual property (IP) capacity across Ontario's postsecondary sector. The investment includes $2.9 million allocated to 10 new program recipients and an additional $1.7 million to expand its existing pilot funding program. With this announcement, IPON's total funding amounts to $6.6 million since April 2023, supporting eight colleges and 12 universities to date.

The investment is in support of the Government of Ontario's Commercialization Mandate Policy Framework, which aims to help publicly assisted colleges and universities better commercialize ideas and products generated through "Ontario-made" research and innovation.

"We're thrilled to extend funding to 10 new postsecondary recipients to support their efforts to build IP capacity and better support their researchers and innovators," said Dan Herman, CEO of IPON. "This funding will help institutions across the province more effectively translate research into commercializable innovations, while ensuring the IP at their foundation is appropriately developed and protected."

Institutions receiving a portion of $2.9 million in funding are:

• Brock University
• Carleton University
• George Brown College
• Georgian College
• McMaster University
• Sheridan College
• Toronto Metropolitan University
• University of Ottawa
• University of Toronto
• University of Windsor

Postsecondary institutions in IPON's pilot funding program are:

• Collège La Cité
• Conestoga College
• Durham College
• Lambton College
• Niagara College
• York University
• A joint initiative led by Laurentian University with Trent University, Lakehead University and Nipissing University

"IPON's program for postsecondary institutions offers strategic and invaluable support by helping companies develop their technologies and products in our applied research labs. Beyond necessary IP protection, our end-to-end IP strategy initiative enabled by IPON's funding allows innovators to reach and sustain commercial success with greater certainty," said Marc-Antoine Benglia, Director, Office of Applied Research and Innovation at Collège La Cité.

IPON is committed to collaborating with and supporting all publicly funded postsecondary schools in Ontario by acting as a strategic partner on the development of IP related capacity and supporting institutional efforts to better develop, protect and commercialize the knowledge and ideas that are created on campuses across the province. The agency is also leading a joint working group on commercialization metrics and is exploring ways to best support technology transfer and applied research offices to grow the impact of Ontario's research community. 

"In today's global knowledge-based economy, Ontario's postsecondary institutions are critical, not just as centres of learning, but as incubators for innovation and commercialization," said Jill Dunlop, Minister of Colleges and Universities. "Through the province's support of IPON, our government is ensuring the social and economic benefits of publicly funded research stay in our province, so that Ontarians and the Ontario economy benefit from these new discoveries and innovations."

Minister Dunlop announced the new funding and its recipients at an event hosted by IPON, aimed at further advancing innovation and IP commercialization with colleges and universities. Representatives from government, academia and industry were in attendance.