This suite of programs supports collaboration between business and academia, providing both with an opportunity to enhance and leverage their relationship.

College Applied Research and Development: This program supports certain collaborative projects between industry and colleges. It builds on the unique technical capabilities of Ontario colleges and their connections with local business.

Collaborative Research: Designed for projects with special technical research challenges, demonstrated market pull, and high potential for commercialization, this program leverages the recognized capabilities of Ontario academic research teams.

Connections: This service partners students in science, engineering, and other technical programs with technology-based companies. In helping students garner relevant experience working on industry-designed projects, businesses advance commercial outcomes and later gain experienced new employees—a win-win situation.

First Job: A salary-sharing program that supports Ontario companies who hire new graduates for R&D positions.
Institutional Proof-of-Principle (IPoP): Enables public research institutions to advance research discoveries to market-ready inventions through early-stage proof-of-principle funds.

Knowledge Exchange: Promotes the exchange of knowledge and ideas between researchers and the wider economy. This forum helps companies to shape the direction of future research, and academia to understand marketplace challenges and opportunities.

Market Readiness: This service aids with the initial steps of moving a promising technology from the laboratory to a new spin-off company or licensing opportunity.

Outreach Scholarship: Provides Ontario’s best research students with access to world-class, expert mentorship and peer interactions outside the province—within Canada and internationally.

Technical Problem Solving: Supports select short-term projects and collaboration between industry and academia. Goals are to build partnerships that yield commercial results and give researchers hands-on problem-solving experience.