Southern Ontario Pharmaceutical & Health Innovation Ecosystem (SOPHIE) Program

Amount:

$100,000.00

Type:

Grant

Description:

Southern Ontario Pharmaceutical & Health Innovation Ecosystem (SOPHIE) Program brings together Innovation Factory’s commercialization services with the Synapse Life Science Consortium’s strategic network to leverage access to Hamilton’s unique life sciences capabilities and research expertise. This funding will support collaborative projects for Ontario-based life science firms in the later stages of commercialization and in need of financing to secure technology validation and first sale.

Comments on Funding:

Funding is up up to $100,000 in matching funds from FedDev Ontario (1.25:1 match required).
Example: to secure $50,000 in FedDev funding, the firm must provide a 1.25x match of $62,500.

Stacking federal government funding is not allowed.
Stacking provincial and municipal funding is subject to review and approval.

Deadline:

Continuous Intake

Eligibility:

Applicants must:
1. be incorporated, private life science companies, with operations based primarily in Ontario;
2. be working on commercializing an innovative technology at TRL-6 or above (TRL-6: System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a simulated environment);
3. have demonstrated commitment to commercializing innovation with a clear clinical application;
4. be members of Innovation Factory or a Regional Innovation Centre (e.g., MaRS, Communitech). Firms can sign-up for free with Innovation Factory.

Life science firms include for-profit companies operating in the fields of pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, medical devices, digital health, biomedical technologies, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals, and others that dedicate their efforts to creating products to improve the lives of organisms.

Application Steps:

Applicants must:
1. complete and submit the online SOPHIE application form. The SOPHIE program team will review the application within 1-2 weeks before scheduling an introduction meeting to explore project suitability , alignment with SOPHIE program goals, and steps required to identify a suitable principal investigator / clinical champion.
2. work with an interested principal investigator / clinical champion, and their institution, to define the desired scope of Commercialization Project activities.
3. sign the SOPHIE Commercialization Project contract with Innovation Factory and the institutional partner. The contract will outline the project scope, budget, critical activities, project milestones, and the expected business impact of the Commercialization Project.

Documentation Needed:

No specific documentation has been identified.

Other Things to Note:

Link Guide:

Maurice

About the author

Maurice

Maurice (Moe) Muise learned the ins-and-outs of government while an employee of the Government of Canada in Ottawa for 10 years. His current focus is helping small businesses in Canada to identify and maximize funding to grow their business.

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