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Lab2Market Validate Spring 2026 - Ontario

Please contact the IP Officer if you are interested in applying

This four-month program provides research teams, consisting of a graduate student and their faculty supervisor, with the opportunity to evaluate the commercial potential of their technology through a structured, data-driven market research process. Participants gain valuable entrepreneurial skills, equipping them to successfully translate their innovations from the lab to the market. 

This program will be delivered by McMaster University. 

Participants in the program receive: 

  • $10,000 in funding;
  • The opportunity to access product-market fit; 
  • Learning curriculum delivered by innovation leaders;
  • Access to a large entrepreneurial network and community. 

 Application Link

Program Summary 

Deadlines:

  • Internal Review Deadline (IP Officer):
    • November 14, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. EST  
  • L2M Application Deadline:
    • December 5, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. EST  

Funding: $10,000 CAD

Delivered by: McMaster University 

Duration: May 1– July 27, 2026  

How to Apply:

  1. Consult with IP Officer, Peter Shao to discuss all three internal requirements.
  2. Submit the online L2M application by December 5, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. EST    

Contact: Peter Shao (IP Officer), email: Yiming.shao@ontariotechu.ca 

Ontario Tech Internal Requirements

All applicants must complete the following three internal requirements before starting their L2M online application. It is strongly recommended to submit the application at least three weeks before the deadline (December 5, 2025) to allow time for review committee feedback. Applicants are also encouraged to participate in the Validate Foundation Spring 2026 – Ontario programs, which will be announced shortly.

  1. Invention Disclosure form – As per the Ontario Tech Intellectual Property Policy, L2M applicants (PI) must disclose to the University the intellectual property they wish to commercialize. You can find a copy of the IP disclosure form at the bottom of the page.
  2. Disclose Conflict of Interest (COI) – To comply with our Conflict of Interest in Research Policy, L2M applications (PI) must disclose to the University any COI.  In the event there is a COI, an approved management plan will be formulated to mitigate the COI.
  3. Enrollment into Brilliant Catalyst – To maximize the benefits of the L2M program, ELs will be required to enroll into the Brilliant Catalyst program to access additional support from the incubator.

L2M Program Eligibility 

  1. Graduate researchers (Master's, PhD and Postdoc) along with their faculty supervisors from universities and colleges in Ontario, who are interested in exploring entrepreneurship. This program will be delivered by McMaster University.
  2. Applicants must apply as a team: an Entrepreneurial Lead (EL) who works full-time on the project and a Technical Lead (TL) who supervises the research.
  • EL is a full-time graduate (Master's or PhD) student or postdoctoral fellow (service is under 5 years). Recent graduates must be within two years of graduation at the start of their project. The EL is expected to work on the project full-time (a minimum of 25 hours/week) over the duration of the program and must represent the team in all training sessions.
  • TL is a faculty at Canadian universities must be eligible to hold Tri-Agency funds. The TL is expected to participate in select training sessions and assist the EL throughout the program.

Program Benefits

  • Participants receive $10,000 funding/stipend support (to the Entrepreneurial Lead) 
  • No cost to participants 
  • Access to mentorship, workshops, curriculum and access to a national network of expert advisors, industry connections, etc. 
  • Hands-on market validation, interviews, customer discovery, hypothesis testing etc. 
  • Access to the networking and researcher-entrepreneurs community across Canada 
  • McMaster also delivers the Validate Foundations (a 3-day intensive virtual bootcamp) for the Ontario cohort. 

Common FAQs 

Here are some common FAQs that arise from applicants who are not selected for the Validate program. The Validate stage typically receives 50–70+ applications per cohort. Around 20–25 teams are shortlisted for interviews and approximately 10–15 teams are ultimately selected into the Validate cohort.

1. Why wasn’t I selected?

Common reasons include weak demonstration of commercial potential or market need, insufficient evidence of readiness (e.g., technology too early or lacking validation), unclear team roles or commitment and misalignment with program goals or selection criteria.

2. Was my idea too early stage?

Yes. If your research has not reached sufficient maturity to test assumptions or validate its market potential, it may be considered too early for Validate.

3. Did they reject my team because of composition?

Possibly. If the Entrepreneurial Lead (EL) is ineligible, the Principal Investigator or Technical Lead is not involved, or the collaboration appears weak, the team may not meet selection expectations.

4. Did lack of stakeholder or customer discovery hurt my application?
Yes. Validate emphasizes customer discovery. Applications without early interviews, user insights, or reference to stakeholder feedback are at a disadvantage. 

5. Was my research focus a factor?

Yes. If your project area does not match with the cohort’s focus or program priorities, this may affect your application result.

6. Will I receive feedback on my rejection?
Some hosting institutions provide written or verbal feedback from the review committee. The IP officer may request from the committee a brief summary of your strengths and areas for improvement.

7. Can I reapply in a future round?

Yes. Most programs encourage reapplication once applicants have strengthened their proposal, team and early validation work.

8. How should I uniquely position How are you, your supervisor, or your lab suited to solving this problem?

Emphasize distinct technical strengths, all relevant research, lab facilities, publication track record, patents or prototypes, research collaborations and successful case in. Show why your team is better placed than others to address this problem.

9. How should I describe the Competition and Alternatives?

Identify the current solutions or substitute approaches that potential users employ today to solve the same problem. Compare them on cost, performance, adoption or limitations. Demonstrate how your approach improves on alternatives, or fills a gap no one else addresses.

10. What if there seem to be no direct competitors?

That’s okay, but don’t say “none.” Instead, explain existing workarounds or indirect alternatives users currently rely on. Show you understand the industry trend and market shift. 

11. How detailed should my competitive analysis be?

Focus on 2–4 key alternatives or competitor types. Consider using the SWOT Analysis framework to outline strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats.  

12. What can I do next to improve my application?

Start working on your application early, ideally at least three weeks before the deadline and book a pre-screen meeting with the IP Officer and Brilliant Catalyst to go over your value proposition, market assumptions and team readiness. Make sure your value proposition stands out from existing alternatives. Strengthen your team’s roles and commitment and talk to potential customers or stakeholders to validate your idea and collect feedback. Applications without early interviews, user insights, or reference to stakeholder feedback can be a disadvantage. Before submitting, double-check with the IP Officer that all internal requirements are completed.

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