McMaster University is a proud delivery partner for the Lab2Market Ontario Hub and Health Hub, providing students and researchers with the opportunity to explore entrepreneurship and bring their innovations to life. Lab2Market is fully virtual, connecting participants with a Canada-wide network of expert mentors, industry leaders, and seasoned entrepreneurs.
Whether you’re just starting to explore entrepreneurship or ready to take your research to market, Lab2Market programs are open at any stage. With tailored programming and national connections, McMaster entrepreneurs gain the skills, resources, and support needed to turn bold ideas into real-world impact.
Lab2Market Discover
Over 10 weeks, you will explore the opportunities and challenges in entrepreneurship as an alternative career path—from the various potential applications of your technology to creating a network in the ecosystem.
Our aim is to transform Canada’s researchers into innovation leaders and entrepreneurs. We look for the brightest minds and help them bridge the knowledge, skills, and resource gap to bring their research to market.
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Full-time students, recent graduates, researchers, and faculty members at Canadian universities and colleges who are interested in exploring entrepreneurship are encouraged to apply.
Applications are now closed for Lab2Market Discover, running from February 12 to April 16, 2025.
Stay tuned for future opportunities, and reach out to discover@lab2market.ca with any questions.
Lab2Market Validate Foundations
Lab2Market Validate Foundations is a three-day intensive virtual training program aimed at providing participants with a comprehensive understanding of the process and best practices for research commercialization. Upon completion, graduates will possess the knowledge necessary to initiate their commercialization endeavors and strategically position their projects to capitalize on various opportunities within the ecosystem. These opportunities include Lab2Market’s Validate program, incubator and accelerator programs, and public innovation grants.
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Eligibility: Full-time students, recent graduates, researchers, and faculty members from Ontario’s universities and colleges who are interested in exploring entrepreneurship are encouraged to apply.
The program is designed for individuals seeking to commercialize their ideas—those who envision how their technology can benefit the real world and wish to understand the steps required for commercialization. This program consists of six online sessions delivered over three days.
If you have already made the decision to leap into the world of entrepreneurship and try commercializing your technology, check out our Lab2Market Validate and Launch programs.
The L2M Validate Foundations program runs for 3 consecutive days, commencing on February 25, 2025, with all training sessions scheduled from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM and 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM EST.
Applications for the Winter 2025 Cohort (Ontario) are open until February 12 and can be submitted here. For more information, contact Sydney Valentino at valens@mcmaster.ca.
Lab2Market Validate
Lab2Market Validate gives researchers the opportunity to critically test and evaluate their idea in the entrepreneurial landscape. This carefully curated 16-week experience is complemented by funding, exercises, workshops, and mentorship from industry experts – all with exploration at its core.
The program will take participants through the process of unlocking the business potential of a research idea – from meeting customers, building a network, and most importantly, developing entrepreneurial grit. The 16-week program is a full-time commitment broken into the following phases:
Phase 1: Pre-Program (4 weeks): Get inspired to take the first steps toward validating your idea. You will be welcomed into a community of like-minded and driven individuals with diverse research backgrounds, hearing from successful founders who have been there and done it. You will learn principal market research methodologies and techniques to put into practice.
Phase 2: Core-Program (8 weeks): “Get out of the building” and put your learnings into action by meeting with your customers. This is an intense and fast-paced period, but you will be supported by a vast entrepreneurial network of industry experts and will also receive in-depth presentations on various entrepreneurial topics.
Phase 3: Post-Program (4 weeks): Analyze your findings and determine the appropriate path forward for your project and celebrate your successes with the Lab2Market community.
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Lab2Market Validate is offered free of cost and is open to researchers (Masters, Ph.D., and Postdocs) from all disciplines in Canada.
Applications for the Spring 2025 Cohort (Ontario) are open until March 2 and can be submitted here.
Cohort runs May 12th to August 12th for participants in Ontario.
Lab2Market Launch (Health)
Lab2Market Launch is a transformative 4-month accelerator program designed to help entrepreneurial students and research teams turn innovative ideas into scalable technology-based ventures. Tailored for ambitious individuals ready to form, build, and grow their businesses, the program combines local innovation hub support with the credibility and resources of the national Lab2Market network.
A specialized Lab2Market Health Cohort is available, tailored for ventures in Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Med-Tech, Human and Animal Health, and Health IT.
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Lab2Market Launch is designed for students, researchers, and recent graduates with research-based ventures ready to explore their commercial potential. The program operates nationwide through a network of seven regional and national hubs, serving ventures in Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, Med-Tech, Human and Animal Health, and Health IT.
- Team Composition: Each team must include:
- A current student (graduate, postdoctoral, or a recent graduate within two years of completing their academic program).
- Note: College students are eligible.
- A faculty supervisor.
- Market Validation: Teams should have conducted substantial primary market research, including at least 50 customer discovery interviews, and be able to demonstrate the market opportunity for their technology with supporting evidence.
- Funding & Time Commitment: The program is partially funded through the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship (BSI) program. Participants must:
- Meet Mitacs eligibility requirements.
- Commit full-time (30+ hours per week) to qualify for the stipend.
Applications are open until March 2, 2025, and can be submitted here. For more information, contact Sydney Valentino at valens@mcmaster.ca.