PROGRAMS
Based on decades of academic research and industry expertise, the invention to Innovation (i2I) suite of programs has been designed as a complementary system, addressing the capacity, culture and connectivity needs of the Canadian innovation ecosystem, and building a growing network of academic experts, industry mentors and translational colleague across Canada. These include the Mitacs i2I Skills Training, the Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Commercialization, and i2I Faculty Fellows (coming soon).
Uniquely, the programs have been designed help masters students, PhD Candidates, Post-docs, recent alumni, faculty members and industry researchers advancing novel research with science, technology and/or systems uncertainty, from fields such as, but not limited to, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Chemical Engineering, Bio-medical Engineering, Material Science, Electrical Engineering, Nanotech, Quantum, Agri-tech, Mechatronics, Robotics, Medicine, Pharma, Digital Health, Health Science, Gerontology, and more.
Whether participants choose to transfer their skills and passions to industry, become a more entrepreneurial scientist or start a venture, they will have the innovation skills, entrepreneurial mindsets, theories and frameworks they need to thrive.
Program Flow & Credit Laddering
Programs
The Mitacs i2I Skills Training is designed to help participants build a compelling plan to take their own research to impact while building a national network of peer-learning and expert mentoring. This part-time program has been designed to help participants advance their plan and skills for impact while continuing to advance their research in the lab. It leads participants through 4 asynchronous courses with deliverables that build on each other, continuing deepening knowledge and culminating in a comprehensive and compelling pitch to take their specific research from lab to impact.
On completion of the Mitas i2I Skills Training, participants will be able to:
- Identify and prioritize application areas for their technologies and research
- Identify early stage strategic decisions that will impact the future potential of their research
- Learn to identify or create market opportunities for their research
- Understand and validate the needs and players served by their innovation
- Develop business models and strategies to go from vision to operational plan
- Create a compelling narrative to get buy-in from key players
- Understand the options and choices for early-stage funding
- Develop an initial funding plan and timelines for implementation.
The Mitacs i2I Skills Training is the first step in the i2I suite of programs. It has been strategically designed as a flexible, asynchronous, part-time pathway that allows science and technology researchers to continue advancing their research while gaining the innovation skills and entrepreneurial mindset required to open new opportunities to satisfying careers in industry, augment their research skills in the lab and/or translate their research to impact through entrepreneurial ventures.
Candidate streams and benefits include:
- Masters students, PhD candidates & Post-Doctoral Fellows, and alumni 5 or less years out of an advanced research degree looking to develop translational innovation skills, to explore new pathways for the impact of their research and/or match their researh with a plan to meet a market or societal need.
- Faculty members who have engaged in this program have also experienced a transformational impact in their labs, careers, and research trajectory; their ability to secure translational and interdisciplinary grants; how they train their students, and their ability to spin-off or license their research.
- Industry innovators: Individuals in industry who are advancing science and impact objectives and looking to enhance their skills. This includes early-stage venture founders, Technology Licensing Office (TLO) personnel, bench or early-career scientists looking to advance their careers.
Originally developed as a non-credit pathway for interns and alumni from Mitacs programs (link to Mitacs programs page), the Mitacs i2I is also open to prospective Mitacs participants: research students and post-docs seeking to gain industry relevant skills. Faculty and industry innovators are also welcome to apply and can inquire about eligibility through i2I@sfu.ca
On completion of the Mitacs i2I, participants receive a completion certificate as well as badge for Linkedin, and can choose to apply to i2I Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Commercialization certificate where their participation in the Mitacs i2I counts toward the first half of the graduate certificate.
Over an 8-month period, from mid-September to April, participants will engage in four asynchronous online topics facilitated by expert faculty members from across the country. In the first two courses (Lab to Market and Opportunity Identification & Assessment), participants work together through online discussions with their regional cohorts. In the second two courses (Business Models and Financial Literacy for Entrepreneurs), participants will move into smaller sector-specific learning groups with peers from across Canada and receive synchronous mentorship from successful scientist innovators.
Three national synchronous sessions, opening, mid-point and closing events, as well as regular check-ins with instructors and mentors, build communities and connections throughout the program.
There are several streams of funding for participants the Mitacs i2I
Graduate Students and Post-docs: Funding for the Mitacs i2I is generously covered by Mitacs for participants who hold, have held or are applying for Mitacs Elevate or Mitacs Accelerate programs. Other student and postdoc applicants will be considered for Mitacs funding on a case-by-case basis.
Other sources of funding may be available for applicants without a Mitacs affiliation, including through affiliated research labs and projects.
Faculty: Funding for a limited number of faculty seats is generously provided by the Beedie School of Business through a variety of awards and scholarships or may be covered by funding from research groups, or tuition waivers for faculty at SFU.
Seats can also be arranged for international and/or industry participants through SFU executive education. Please inquire at i2I@sfu.ca.
Please indicate appropriate affiliations in your application
The Mitacs i2I Skills Training counts toward 8 credits in the i2I Graduate Certificate.
The i2I Graduate Certificate extends and deepens learning and commercialization planning past the Mitacs i2I, which counts toward the first four courses of the grad certificate. The next four courses augments previous learning and deliverables with leadership, finance and strategy training, as well as 1:1 business planning classes with expert faculty and mentors.
This part-time program is delivered through synchronous online sessions, and provides graduate and post-doc research scientists, faculty, start-up ventures or personnel in existing science-based organizations with essential frameworks, perspectives and techniques to contribute to the translation of knowledge to real-world applications, start ventures, lead business development or new product development and increase commercialization in labs or industry.
In addition to the outcomes of the Mitacs i2I Skills Training, in this program, participants will:
- Create a succinct and refined business plan for the commercialization of a unique product or service
- Validate your business model: test and retest business assumptions and hypotheses
- Develop a well-grounded entrepreneurial plan and compelling pitch for partners, investors or funders.
- Learn leadership skills to drive ideas forward as part of team, as a designer of organizations and as member of a leadership team.
- Improve your communication skills through opportunities for live pitching and storytelling
- Work with a national cohort of innovators and entrepreneurs
- Receive a chance to compete in the final i2I Venture Pitch Competition.
The i2I graduate certificate has been called a ‘mini-MBA in commercialization’. Participants seeking to earn a for-credit graduate certificate can apply directly into the graduate certificate. Those accepted into the program will start their journey alongside the Mitacs i2I Skills Training participants and continue through the second half of the program as part of a part-time, synchronous, national cohort.
Candidate streams and benefits include:
- Masters students, PhD candidates & Post-Doctoral Fellows, and alumni 5 or less years out of an advanced research degree looking to develop translational innovation skills, to explore new with new pathways for the impact of their research and/or match their researh with a plan to meet a market or societal need.
- Faculty members who have engaged in this program have also experienced a transformational impact in their labs, careers, and research trajectory; their ability to secure translational and interdisciplinary grants; how they train their students, and their ability to spin-off or license their research.
- Industry innovators: Individuals in industry who are advancing science and impact objectives and looking to enhance their skills. This includes early-stage venture founders, Technology Licensing Office (TLO) personnel, bench or early-career scientists looking to advance their careers.
Several national research programs have partnerships with i2I for placement in the graduate certificate. Please indicate any relationships with research partners in your application. Faculty and industry innovators are also welcome to apply and can inquire about eligibility through i2I@sfu.ca
Upon completion of the i2I grad certificate, participants can convocate with the i2I Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Commercialization.
The i2I graduate certificate begins with the Mitacs i2I Skills Training program, where you will study part-time from September to April (see above link to jump back to Mitacs i2I), with one asynchronous module per week, in learning groups with participants in regional cohorts and then in learning groups creating networks across the country.
Upon successful completion of the Mitacs i2I Skills Training, you will have the opportunity to apply to ladder into the i2I Graduate Certificate in Science and Technology Commercialization to earn University credit at SFU’s Beedie School of Business, with the option to convocate with the certificate,
There are several funding sources available to participants in the i2I Graduate Certificate program.
Tuition amount for the full certificate tuition, or second half after the Mitacs i2I, can be found on the SFU Beedie website; however, the i2I team acknowledge the substantial financial commitment that PhD scientists and postdocs have already committed to becoming experts in world-changing research and the need to for equal access to translational skills and mindset training, and are dedicated to finding additional support wherever possible. In addition to self-funding, other opportunities include funding through partner research projects, grants, competitive scholarships and philanthropic awards.
Candidates do not need to submit a separate funding application. Candidates are assessed for all funding opportunities based on the merits of their application and the strength of their innovation proposal as outlined in their Innovation Statement.
Faculty: Funding for a limited number of faculty seats is generously provided by the Beedie School of Business through a variety of awards and scholarships or may be covered by funding from research groups, or tuition waivers for faculty at SFU.
Graduate certificate seats can also be arranged for international and/or industry participants through SFU executive education. Please inquire at i2I@sfu.ca.
The i2I Graduate Certificate counts toward 10 credits in the SFU Management of Technology (MOT) MBA.
Canada’s world class research can have transformative impact on our most pressing challenges, from clean energy transition, curing/treating disease, environmental clean-up, sustainable agriculture and more. Translational skills and mindset training will help researchers to better take research to impact and increase Canada’s innovation capacity. To achieve this vision, the transformational invention to Innovation (i2I) Faculty Innovation Fellows program has been designed based on world-class research and experience specific to science-based translation, and linked to national networks of academic and industrial mentors, helping researchers unleash their entrepreneurial mindset along three complementary paths: translational scientists, industry innovation champions and venture founders.
As trusted boundary spanners, i2I Faculty Innovation Fellows will help increase Canada’s innovation capacity bringing together expertise in STEM research and developing translational skills and mindset.
Full-time faculty at Canadian universities and research institutes.
Dates: May 13 – May 17, 2024
Location: Kingston, ON
Host: Queen’s University
May 13th – Welcome and Overview of Program
May 14th – Lab to Market
May 15th – Opportunity Identification and Assessment
May 16th – Business Models
May 17th – Financial Literacy and Closing
For successful applicants, Program and Conference Centre Fees, including meals, will be covered for the duration of the program.
For out-of-town participants, overnight accommodation will also be provided at the Donald Gordon Centre.