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Supporting Innovation and Commercialization in Ontario

February 5, 2024

Call for Proposals: IPON PSE Pilot Program

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Agenda

Call for Proposals

  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?

Link to Technical Briefing webinar video recording:

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https://zoom.us/rec/share/3QxXzYpvp1-uTAOUrrsMojtfDjo5jR232FBuKcgV6epBOimJCdAnXaUcUUZP_M_-.DDJeJavlqo5xEWO4

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Passcode: !s91PHA@

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Overview

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IPON Objectives and Services

  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • IPON Objectives
    • Help businesses and researchers innovate and grow
    • Support the development and protection of IP
    • Improve the commercialization outcomes of research
    • Help advance Ontario’s economic growth and competitiveness

https://www.ip-ontario.ca/mandate

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  • IPON Services
    • Assessments (e.g., audits, valuation, strategy, disclosure processing)
    • Registrations (e.g., patent filings, trademarks, copyright)
    • Agreements (e.g., NDA, licences) and contracts with high IP impact (e.g., partnership agreements, data management plans)
    • Mentorship (e.g., connect companies to subject matter experts)
    • Education and outreach (e.g., Promotion of IPON services, education/training opportunities)� https://www.ip-ontario.ca/services

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  • IPON Initial Sectors of Interest
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • MedTech
    • Life Sciences
    • Vehicle Technology
    • Mining
    • Advanced Manufacturing

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Overview

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Call for Proposals

  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • Message received
    • Insufficient expertise or resources to identify and maximize commercialization outputs

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  • Amount & Timing
    • $150K-$300K per institution for fiscal year 2024-25
      • $2.6M total funding anticipated for the second cohort
    • Deadline for submission February 15 to <pse@ip-Ontario.ca>�

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  • Intended recipients & use
    • Universities and Colleges that will expand innovation and commercialization efforts and share best practices
    • Incremental expansion of services or capacity
    • Increased utilization of IPON services in priority sector areas
    • Demonstration project

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Examples

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • Shared resource: share IP capacity resources across a common geography, technology, or commercial sector in a collaborative proposal, particularly in an effort to collaboratively identify and prioritize high potential commercialization projects to support;
  • Specific projects receiving support: identify researchers or entrepreneurs that can benefit from IPON services within our priority sectors of medtech, artificial intelligence, automotive and ORF-RE recipients;
  • IPON liaison: commit to a local resource that will devote at least 10% of their time serving as a liaison to IPON, and an ambassador for IPON services at their institution;
  • Increased utilization of IPON services: commit to amplify and deploy IPON’s on-demand and IP education services and build a pipeline of future IPON clients;� https://www.ip-ontario.ca/apply for program options for clients
  • for institutions with existing funded resources
    • include potential projects (e.g., patent applications, licensing) that would be supported that would not proceed without the funding, thereby increasing overall commercialization metrics and output for the region
  • for institutions with no funded resources
    • demonstrate the pilot funds would be used to start new commercialization activities and outputs for their region that are not yet capitalized on

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Examples

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • Conestoga College is creating a new Centre for Commercialization led by a technology transfer expert who will serve as an industry and ecosystem connector to improve outcomes for regional SMEs, researchers, and entrepreneurs.�
  • Durham College, Collége La Cité, and Lambton College are developing a model bringing technology transfer expertise and expanding service offerings to companies by college applied research offices, collaborating with a university technology transfer office (World Discoveries at Western University) to provide training and additional support to staff.�
  • Niagara College is leveraging the Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI) in providing IP-related consultations for manufacturing industry partners that have received or will receive other R&D services throughout the network�
  • Laurentian University is partnering with Lakehead, Trent, and Nipissing Universities in creating a Northern and rural innovation cluster focused on critical minerals, cleantech, and battery electric technologies that links research and commercialization expertise at post-secondary institutions with industry and innovation ecosystem partners to accelerate the development and adoption of new technologies.�
  • York University is expanding the reach of its IP Innovation Clinic by streamlining and developing a full-service IP and commercialization pathway for faculty, students and other partners with support of new staff and law students

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Proposal Elements

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • Cover letter: Contact info, IPON liaison�
  • Public Summary/Abstract: Short description�
  • Justification of Need: Demonstrate a gap/deficit that, if addressed, would have significant impact – quantify where possible�
  • Project Plan: Brief description of your approach in addressing the identified gap/deficit�
  • Project timeline & outcomes: High-level timeline and timing of improved outcomes�
  • Budget: High-level budget�
  • Sustainability / Exit Strategy: What other sources of funding?

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Frequently Asked Questions: Budget & Funding

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • Is the budget amount of $150K to $300K total for the pilot or per project?
    • The amounts are per funded project.  We are hoping to fund 5 to 9 pilots projects total, each approximately $150-$300K, for a total of ~$2.6M for new awards

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  • Are research hospitals eligible?
    • Research hospitals are encouraged to participate in a proposal, with a college or university as the lead institution, to provide additional capacity potential to a smaller institution and an access to industry for path to market/commercialization potential, for example.

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  • What is the length of the award?
    • The intent is the funds will cover activity for the 2024-25 fiscal year
    • Use of funds over multiple years will not be allowed
    • 1 year pilot. No guaranteed renewals at this time.

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  • What is the mechanism of the award?
    • Funds will be provided through a Transfer Payment Agreement in accordance with Ontario’s Transfer Payment Operational Policy

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  • What are the timelines associated to the decision making after submissions?
    • Feb 15 submission deadline
    • Feb 26 expected notification of successful proponents
    • March 15 deadline for execution of agreement

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  • What costs are eligible?
    • Please see the call for proposal program document for details. Please note that funds supporting R&D/technology development are not eligible. The original intent for the estimate of $200-$300K was to support the hiring of a commercialization/IP expert (for about half) + about half for IP services funding. Other models/proposals are welcome.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Use of Funds

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • Can we submit an application for funding to support only a specific IP or should the project be institutional (eg improving tech transfer/innovation within the university or college)?
    • Preference is institutional(s)�
  • Can we use the funds to deploy our pre-existing IP training beyond our institution? There are lots of programs to create educational material. Could some of this funding be used to add another component to a stalled initiative?
    • Preference is to deploy existing training, and preference for new FTE that can manage this (and rely on existing training, not new training).
    • Unless existing internal training is done and can be deployed to a wider audience in the institution with little or no cost, intent is IPON will have education courses available that can be leveraged for no cost.

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  • Can you use the funds for two 0.5 FTE instead of 1 FTE?

Can you hire students to assist with commercialization activities (getting institutional IP out)?

Can we propose to use the FTE funding to support an EIR?

    • Yes, if that is justified in increasing significant capacity with clear outcomes

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Frequently Asked Questions: Eligibility restrictions

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • Is there a preferred technology sector, or is this open to all technology types? What are the IPON priority areas and does the proposal need to target those areas?
    • For the purposes of this pilot initiative, it is open to all sectors. Projects do not need to support any one specific sector. Proposals are welcome to describe areas of focus that may overlap with IPON’s eligibility sectors (see “Eligibility” on this page Apply — Intellectual Property Ontario (ip-ontario.ca)) especially how that may lead to referrals to IPON for additional clients. However, this is not a requirement.

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  • How do you define MedTech?
    • See the excerpt from IPON’s Bylaws in the box to the left.

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  • Is there a preferred stage of commercialization you are looking to support? Can these ideas be brand new filings, or would you prefer to see commercialization activities closer to revenue generation? Can this support prototyping?
    • While there is no preferred stage per se, we are looking to for outcomes that will see significant impact / increases in activity/volume over the course of the funding year above your current baseline.

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  • Can we apply for a single institutional project as well as a joint institutional project if the projects are quite different from each other? How many submissions can a postsecondary institution make?
    • Yes, these approaches are allowed. There is no limit per se, but it is very unlikely that an institution would receive more than one award.

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  • Can we each submit a single institutional project, however, indicate where each university will be supporting the other with time/resources from the programs based on expertise?
    • Yes, especially if this shows broader and increased impact across multiple institutions.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Eligibility

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?

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  • Can a startup company, in collaboration with a university, apply for the program?
    • A start-up company in an eligible sector should apply directly for IPON support in the SME programs: https://www.ip-ontario.ca/apply

A university can use the start-up as an example of what could be funded as part of the proposed project in an application to this program, but technically, the start-up is not applying in partnership with a university to this program.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Miscellaneous

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • How can IP Research Services headquartered in Ontario be of any help to PSE’s or other IPON customers or programs?
    • Please send an email to pse@ip-ontario.ca regarding your question. IPON is interested in partnering with other institutions that may have overlapping goals. However, funding such a partnership is not the intent of this particular funding program.

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  • Should each proposal address the first four bullet points on the “Examples” slide or just one or two?
    • The examples are just that: you should describe a gap or need in innovation and commercialization and propose to address that gap. See the list of currently funded projects for additional ideas or approaches.

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  • Will you be providing feedback on the submissions from last year?
    • Please send an email to pse@ip-ontario.ca with specific questions related to your proposed project that can be included in this FAQ.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Evaluation Criteria

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  • 2:00 Overview
  • 2:05 Examples
  • 2:10 Proposal elements
  • 2:15 Submitted questions
  • 2:25 Additional questions?
  • Is evaluation criteria available? What are applications that will have priority? Are both established and new offices considered using the same criteria?�In approximate order of weight
    • Demonstrated need: Significant existing gap/deficit
    • Impact
      • Expanded capacity: Significant incremental add
      • Time to measurable impact: How long until results will be seen? Ideally within the first year to see outputs.
      • Measured impact: How many of what projects will be impacted?
    • Diversity: Geographical and language distribution
    • Collaborative: Synergistic efforts broadening impact
    • Alignment with IPON
      • Increased utilization of IPON services: amplify reach of services
      • Commitment to work with IPON