Need help to commercialize your research? Eligible projects can get up to $300,000 for R&D.
Stage 1: Submission of Application
Stage 2: Invitation to Submit a Full Proposal
The application call lasts a few weeks. The applications are then reviewed and short-listed over the subsequent 4-8 weeks. Short-listed applications are invited to submit a full proposal. The proposals are then reviewed and awardees selected.
You can request up to $300,000. Funding is paid in annual instalments of approximately equal amounts, following submission of annual reports.
Sample Matching Funds Breakdown #1:
$300,000 Ignite Funding Request
$150,000 cash funding from industry or academic sources
$150,000 in-kind funding from industry
$300,000 cash funding from government
This sample budget works because there is a 2:1 match on the Ignite funding request ($300K Ignite, $600K matching), and government and in-kind matching are each not more than 50% of the total match.
Sample Matching Funds Breakdown #2:
$300,000 Ignite Funding Request
$150,000 cash funding from industry or academic sources
$150,000 in-kind funding from government
$300,000 cash funding from government
This sample budget would not be approved. Although it does include the required 2:1 match on the Ignite funding request, government funding from cash and in-kind sources is greater than 50% of the total match.
No, but applications with secured matching funds may be viewed more favorably by the review panel.
Yes. However, the majority of your company’s revenue must come from sales — not government aid.
No, this funding does not cover retroactive expenses prior to the start date indicated in your application.
Research and development expenditures. Eligible costs include but are not limited to:
The program does not fund companies directly. All members in the partnership must agree that the primary academic partner's institution will receive and administer the funding. A formalized partnership agreement is required for the proposal stage.
The partnership must have at least one academic partner and one industry partner. The majority of your partners must be based in B.C. and be able to exploit the research results in B.C.
Organizations must be registered in B.C. and have a significant presence in the province. Multinationals may be eligible if they have project-related commercial activities that take place in B.C.
Partners from outside the province or country are welcome, provided:
Yes, thanks to our close collaboration with Mitacs. If interested, please reach out to Business Development Specialist, Marcelo Mora.
IP and its ownership should be discussed with your partner(s) before submitting the application.
The process involves two stages and takes approximately 6 months. Then, funds are paid in annual instalments of approximately equal amounts based submission of annual reports.
Ignite is a competitive process. Approximately 40% of applicants are invited to submit a full proposal and 30-40% of proposals are awarded funding. However, this varies on the number and quality of applications received.
Yes, but Ignite funds cannot be used retroactively.
Yes, as long as you meet the application criteria. We also recommend you be able to demonstrate strong financial, managerial and strategic business capability to bring the innovation to market.
Yes, but you must apply with a different project.
No, but it is viewed favourably. At a minimum, the roles, responsibilities and IP arrangements should be defined before applying. You should also ensure you are aware of relevant policies and procedures at your partner's institution.
Commercialization of a technology is considered to have occurred when a customer purchases a technology product. Successful commercialization occurs when an identified ‘problem’ is solved. These problems are identified by industry or the marketplace. Commercialization is the process or cycle of introducing a new product or production method into the market. The technology must get through the prototype phase and be reasonably scalable to be considered to have the potential to be commercial. Therefore, the development part of research and development requires time and money as systems are engineered that will make the product or method a valuable commercial proposition. Having a market that demands the product is critical. Companies that are commercializing need to access these markets to find early adopters who are demanding solutions or tolerant of trying innovative technologies with their inherent risks.
Dr. Csinger is a seasoned technology entrepreneur who actively pursues university technology transfer opportunities and industry-academic research collaborations. His work on AI has been published around the world. Dr. Csinger received his PhD and MSc Degrees in Computer Science from UBC.
Jason oversees drug development at Gandeeva Therapeutics by translating structural insights derived from cryo-EM and computational predictions into novel medicines. He has over 20 years of experience in preclinical and clinical drug development at adMare BioInnovations, AnorMED and Microcide Inc, and holds a Ph.D. in chemistry from UVic.
Dr. Esford has spent many years in academia, industry and government in positions supporting the growth of the life-sciences sector. She is a Kauffman Fellow, a Silicon Valley leadership program for VCs and innovators. Dr. Esford received her PhD in microbiology and immunology from UBC.
Hayden loves finding opportunities, connecting people with resources, and forging partnerships to enable the advancement of innovation. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Management and Commercial Law, focused on innovation and entrepreneurship. He has contributed to the success of a diverse portfolio of businesses, in information technology, building construction, and most recently in clean energy and sustainability in the built environment.
Ryan is a growth-driven leader specializing in SaaS, marketplace and recruitment technology companies with 20+ years of experience taking businesses from zero to $1,000,000+ in ARR and implementing processes to scale after finding product/market fit.
Mr. Loukipoudis has led the digital transformation of several corporations. He has also been part of technology start-ups and participated in several open industry-wide and standardization initiatives. Evgueni holds an MSc in Mathematics and a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Mr. MacNab is an accomplished research scientist with a broad understanding of the BC innovation ecosystem. He has over a decade of experience as a research scientist building novel telecommunications, microelectronic, and photovoltaic devices. Finlay holds a Master’s degree from McGill University in materials chemistry and a graduate certificate in technology commercialization from SFU.
Dr. Samli is an applied-technologies commercialization executive. His engagements span industries (including biotech, quantum computing, and blockchain), non-profit organizations, and academia. As a thought-leader, internationalist, and entrepreneur he leads and advises teams on strategy, technology commercialization, organizational development, and building ecosystems.
Cynthia has over two decades of experience in research, technology commercialization and management, with roles in academia, industry, and government. She received her PhD in Agriculture from UBC, and her MBA from SFU, and is a CA and US registered patent agent.
Alexa brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in public affairs, policy, and sustainability in the technology and resource sectors across Canada and internationally. She holds a MSc in Politics and Communications from the London School of Economics, a BAH in Political Science from Queen’s and a Professional Specialization in Public Policy and Governance from UVic.
Applicants go through 2 stages of review. The second stage consists of review by our panel as well as a technical assessment by the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP).
To date the Ignite program has awarded funding to 34 projects for a total value of $8.5M
Acuva Technologies was created based on the research coming out of UBC, says President and CEO, Manoj Singh. Together, they have developed and commercialized high precision purifiers that require no maintenance and little power, making clean water accessible all over the world, even in developing nations. With the help of the Ignite program, Acuva Technologies is now the leader in this sector, their “Eco 1.5” being the first and only UV-LED drinking water purifier in the world to receive NSF/ANSI 55 Class B Certification.
The partnership is developing a new sustainable 3D-printing filament that is carbon negative, non-toxic and biodegradable, with engineer grade quality. Basically, they’re developing plastics that are made out of sustainable and unused wood and left for waste in forestry. The Ignite funding was awarded to help ABC3D and Selkirk College commercialize their research project within a three-year time frame.
TRIUMF’s Dr. Paul Schaffer and ARTMS’ Dr. Michael Cross (with BC Cancer and Lawson Health Research Institute) are developing PET-isotopes and antibodies for non-invasive imaging of the immune system to improve management of cancer treatments.
Dr. Konrad Walus of UBC and industry partner Aspect Biosystems, a leader in clinical 3D bio-printing and human tissue engineering, are developing a turn-key manufacturing platform that will allow for the scaling up of tissue production in a robust and highly repeatable manner. The 3D printed tissues will be used to radically advance the future of drug development, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapies where animals are no longer needed for the discovery of new therapeutics, where doctors know how a patient will react to a drug before prescribing it, and where lifesaving transplant organs are created, not harvested.
In 2017 Axine Water Technologies in partnership with research conducted by UVIC’s Dr. Frank Van Veggel was awarded $300,000 in Ignite funding to further develop a breakthrough electro-catalyst material to enhance ammonia removal in Axine’s industrial wastewater treatment systems.
Dr. Majid Bahrami, SFU, is working with Delta-Q Technologies and Terella Energy Systems to optimize the next-generation of cooling solutions for high-capacity battery chargers in electric vehicles. The use of sophisticated, graphite sheets will be the key innovation used to enhance thermal performance and decrease electromagnetic interference, making notable contributions to the advanced materials manufacturing and electric vehicle industries both in BC and abroad.
A collaboration between the University of Victoria's Dr. Jeremy Wulff and Epic Ventures Inc. to commercialize their technology that will enable “impossible-to-bond” plastics to be permanently joined, facilitate the production of ultra-strong light weight fabrics for enhanced ballistic protection, and more.
ExcelSense has achieved commercial success with their ToughEyeTM self-cleaning camera technology which enables operators to foresee clogs in critical points of production, reducing downtime by 60%, decreasing maintenance cost, and enhancing worker safety.
Dr. Edward Park (SFU) and industry partner Human in Motion Robotics Inc. are developing Exomotion - the next generation, wearable lower-limb exoskeleton that’s designed to get people out of wheelchairs and walking with full legged mobility and independence.
Dr. Stephen Holdcroft, SFU, is working with SFU Chemistry spin-off venture Ionomr Innovations to develop the most durable and versatile anion exchange membrane ever synthesized. Their novel and revolutionary membrane will benefit British Columbia by unlocking cost and performance barriers for many industrial cleantech solutions in energy and wastewater treatment.
Jetti Resources, a natural resources tech startup based in Vancouver, is leveraged funding to further develop a mineral extraction research and development project for the mining industry. The research will help build a sustainable and competitive mining industry and if applied at commercial scale, it could help reduce emissions and water use, while lowering costs for companies.
UBC's Dr. Dominik Roeser, FP Innovations, and LlamaZOO Inc are collaborating on a research project called TimberOps. The innovative platform will provide software that helps forestry experts reduce expensive and difficult field work.
UBC’s Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Chemistry, Dr. Zachary Hudson and NEXE Innovations’ Darren Footz teamed up to develop sustainable compostable coffee pods. They seek to improve the bioplastic formulation and optimize product shelf-life to retain the bold, fresh taste of brewed coffee.
NORAM Engineering and researchers from UBC reached a major milestone by proving the viability of making biofuels from wood. The liquid fuel, which has significantly lower carbon emissions than petroleum, is intended to be used for aircrafts.
Dr. Brad Buckham of UVIC and Marine IoT company MarineLabs are developing a compact, robust, cell-network connected ocean monitoring buoy called the mWaveWind. These high-tech monitoring buoys promise a more cost-effective and reliable solution compared to the existing legacy buoy systems being used globally.
Dr. Jason Hein of UBC and industry partner Standard Lithium are developing a novel process, known as the SIFT technology, for recovering high purity lithium from waste brine using a unique crystallization process. The growing demand for high-grade lithium is being driven by the rapid adoption of both electric vehicles and solar, wind and tidal power systems to reduce environmental emissions. The SIFT technology will solve the significant supply, cost, and logistical problems facing the lithium mining and recovery industry globally.
Dr. Jack Saddler, UBC, is working with Performance Biofilaments to incorporate nanocellulose products derived from wood pulp into high-tech, lightweight, composite thermoplastics for the automotive manufacturing and sporting goods markets. The pursuit of these non-traditional applications of wood cellulose will establish new markets and push the development of exceptional, new nanocellulose materials at commercially viable prices, while reducing the amount of plastics used around the world.
Dr. James Olson of UBC and industry partner Polymer Research Technologies (PRT) are collaborating with the BC Research Institute to develop technology to chemically recycle polyurethane foam waste from the automotive, transportation, furniture, construction, insulation and appliance industries. The result will be a reusable, recyclable, economical, and environmentally friendly raw material alternative to petroleum-based virgin polyol in the polyurethane industry.
Dr. Juli Carillo, UBC, and Dr. Zamir Punja, SFU, are working with Terramera, a Vancouver-based plant intelligence company, to make a safer generation of plant-based pesticides derived from Neem and Karanja oils. Their breakthrough technology, known as the Molecular Delivery System (MDS), significantly amplifies their effectiveness, which will enable these environmentally friendly pesticides to outperform their synthetic chemical counterparts, creating a significant environmental impact in BC.
Dr. Jeremy Wulff
Professor of Organic Chemistry, University of Victoria, 2020 Ignite Award Recipient
Dr. Nelson Mora, CTO, Jetti Resources
- 2019 Ignite Award Recipient
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