How Canada’s Lab to Market Networks Are Reframing Research Commercialization

Canada’s expanding Lab to Market networks are rethinking how public research turns into real ventures. The 2025 rollout adds new regional hubs and refreshed training models that connect university and college teams with practical commercialization paths. Rather than viewing discovery and enterprise as competing worlds, these networks treat them as parts of a single continuum — one that values technical validation, social benefit and early contact with customers. Behind this shift is a growing recognition that innovation starts long before a product launch. Many new hubs are designed to guide researchers through interviews with potential partners, early prototype development and risk reduction for intellectual property and manufacturing. By building entrepreneurial awareness directly into graduate and postdoctoral education, Canada is seeking to anchor its talent at home and strengthen regional innovation economies across the country. CFIR contributes to this momentum by linking research grants and scholarships with key milestones such as prototype readiness or pilot testing. Its targeted support helps bridge an often-fragile stage between laboratory insight and investable concept, when many ideas falter for lack of early funding or mentorship. The goal is not to commercialize every discovery but to equip researchers with the evidence and confidence to decide whether an idea can sustain a venture or serve society through other channels. Still, the challenge remains: turning a steady stream of academic results into outcomes that benefit citizens and markets alike. Canada’s evolving Lab to Market framework suggests that with collaboration, training and timely support, the long path from experiment to enterprise can become clearer — and ultimately, more achievable.

Partner with us: https://www.research.ca/contact-cfir Apply for support: https://www.research.ca/apply For more information: https://www.research.ca/

ResearchCommercialization CanadianInnovation LabToMarket StartupPathways CFIRSupport