Dalhousie University Receives $32M to Lead National Network for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Skills Training

Dalhousie University

Prime Highlights:

Dalhousie University receives a $32M grant to lead Lab2Market, an innovation and commercialization program.

Lab2Market will expand to over 50 Canadian universities, colleges, and research hospitals.

The program has already supported the creation of 133 companies and 190 jobs.

Key Background:

Dalhousie University has been awarded a significant $32 million grant from the Government of Canada to lead the expansion of Lab2Market, an innovative program that empowers students and researchers to turn their research into successful enterprises. The funding, announced on January 15, 2025, by the Honourable Terry Duguid, Minister of Sport, supports Dalhousie’s continued role in driving innovation and commercialization across the country. This investment will be administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Lab2Market, initially founded in 2020 by Dalhousie and Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), is designed to train students and researchers in the critical skills of commercialization and entrepreneurship. Already operating at 15 partner institutions, the program will now expand to more than 50 Canadian universities, colleges, and research hospitals, enabling the commercialization of innovations arising from the collective $7.8 billion in annual research funding in Canada.

Dalhousie University’s Interim Vice President of Research and Innovation, Dr. Jennifer Bain, highlighted the program’s success, noting that it has already fostered more than 130 companies and created nearly 200 jobs in sectors such as medical technology, clean energy, and biomedical engineering. With this new funding, Lab2Market is set to engage thousands of new participants, providing them with the tools and expertise to launch their own ventures.

The program is divided into three core streams—Discover, Validate, and Launch—which guide participants from early-stage idea development to launching successful market-ready businesses. Jeff Larsen, Dalhousie’s Assistant Vice President of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, emphasized that Lab2Market creates a vital pathway for graduate students and researchers, ensuring the government’s investment in research leads to tangible benefits for communities and drives economic growth.

One notable success story from the program is Dr. Rafaela Andrade, who developed Myomar Molecular, a company focused on producing tests for muscle degeneration. The company was supported by Lab2Market, which helped refine her product, leading to its commercialization and regulatory approval by Health Canada.

With Dalhousie now serving as the national headquarters for Lab2Market, the program will continue to build Canada’s innovation pipeline, ensuring that research-based innovations can thrive and contribute to the country’s global competitiveness. The university will also lead Lab2Market’s Atlantic Hub, in collaboration with other regional hubs across the country. This initiative is expected to drive substantial economic growth, boost job creation, and further solidify Canada’s position as a leader in research and innovation.