Skip to main content

Lab2Market Health: Validate Winter 2026

Please contact IP Officer Peter Shao if you are interested in applying

Lab2Market Health: Validate – Winter 2026 is a 4-month national commercialization program designed for Canadian health-focused research teams. Delivered virtually, this cohort gives graduate researchers and their faculty supervisors a structured environment to verify the business potential of their health-related innovations.

Application Link: Click here

Description 

Lab2Market Health Validate is a 4-month, immersive program that 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.

The program facilitates rigorous market validation through a blend of mentor-led workshops, hands-on customer discovery and real-world commercial exercises. Hosted by the University of Toronto Health Innovation Hub (H2i), it’s tailored for innovations in pharmaceuticals, medical devices, med‑tech, health IT and related domains.


Program Summary 

Deadlines:

  • Internal Review Deadline (IP Officer): August 8, 2025, by noon EST 
  • L2M Application Deadline: August 22, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. EST  

Funding: $10,000.00 

Duration: January to May 2026 

How to Apply:

  1. Consult with IP Officer, Peter Shao to discuss all three internal requirements.
  2. Submit the online L2M application by August 22, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. EST  

Contact: Peter Shao 


Ontario Tech Internal Requirements

All applicants must complete the following three internal requirements before starting their L2M online application. 

  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 (see here).
  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. Open to graduate researchers in health-related fields (Master’s, PhD and Postdoc) and their faculty supervisors from Canadian universities and colleges.
  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 (Masters or Ph.D.) 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

  • $10,000 funding per team – provided as a Mitacs BSI stipend to support the Entrepreneurial Lead full-time through the 16-week program.
  • Intensive entrepreneurial training – a structured mix of workshops and exercises designed to teach market validation, business model development and customer discovery.
  • Hands‑on customer discovery & validation – carriers out 100+ stakeholder interviews to refine ideas and test product-market fit 
  • Mentorship from industry experts – access to experienced entrepreneurs, advisors and regional commercialization experts 
  • Strong entrepreneurial network – connect with a national hub including University of Toronto’s Health Innovation Hub, Mitacs and other university partners 
  • Clear commercialization readiness outcomes – develop a market assessment report, strategic customer insight and an informed decision on next steps (e.g., launch, license, pivot)