Statement on the Ontario Commercialization Mandate Framework
The province of Ontario issued its Commercialization Mandate Policy Framework in early 2022. The objective of Ontario’s Commercialization Mandate Policy Framework is to harness the intellectual property generated with the institution’s resources to achieve Ontario’s goal of ensuring that made-in-Ontario innovations benefit Ontarians.
Conestoga is committed to supporting Ontario’s Commercialization Mandate Policy Framework within the context of the role Ontario colleges play in applied research and innovation.
Conestoga is uniquely positioned to collaborate with industry partners to advance innovation and facilitate commercialization of intellectual property in Ontario that creates economic and social benefits for our communities. In particular, applied research activities taking place at Ontario’s publicly funded colleges in partnership with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) create innovative solutions to challenges being experienced in our communities in a variety of settings.
These innovations will be a key driver for sustainable economic recovery, growth, and competitiveness in Ontario and will be critically important as we collectively emerge from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In order to increase innovation at the community and regional level, Conestoga will continue to rely on funding from granting agencies, primarily federal agencies, as the operating funding provided to colleges does not reflect the overhead costs of exploring, developing and overseeing applied research projects.
Ontario’s Commercialization Mandate Framework provides an opportunity to advance the role of the publicly funded college sector in research and innovation. Conestoga College looks forward to continuing to support our partners in the commercialization of intellectual property to realize the full benefits for all Ontarians.
Annual Commercialization Plan (ACP) Statement: Year 1 ACP (2023/04)
Conestoga is a recognized driver of regional innovation through applied research. Conestoga’s engagement with industry and community research partners is motivated by the needs of our communities and a commitment to providing Conestoga students with high-quality, practical experience to accompany their education. Conestoga primarily partners with local small-to-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and greatly values the opportunity to impact local communities, though we apply the same principles of engagement to international partners when opportunities for collaboration arise.
As part of the innovation ecosystem, Conestoga College is privileged to collaborate with regional research and innovation intermediaries. The College works closely with various organizations, helping to leverage synergies and create value for our partners. For example, the Conestoga Entrepreneurship Collective (CEC) maintains a space at Communitech to bring entrepreneurs into contact with tech-space professionals.
Conestoga College also reports on a variety of research metrics to organizations (Colleges & Institutes Canada, Polytechnics Canada) that measure the performance and impact of our applied research and innovation activities. The College looks forward to cultivating our relationship with Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON) as they grow in their capacity to assist colleges with commercialization through providing training, funding, and other critical resources.
Conestoga College will continue to develop and implement new policies, initiatives, and practices that will help faculty, students, and partners champion innovation and commercialization as a key component of the research process. This work will be an extension of our existing efforts, such as the development of the Commercialization Policy and the education of research students on intellectual property. Additionally, the work of the CEC will continue to provide useful resources to student and alumni entrepreneurs and businesses.
Update on the Year 1 ACP: (2023/09)
Since the development of the Year 1 ACP, Conestoga College has received funding from Intellectual Property Ontario (IPON) to support the development of our new Centre for Commercialization. The Centre for Commercialization has already begun to leverage the existing infrastructure of the Research, Innovation & Entrepreneurship team to support commercialization activities for our research partners, regional entrepreneurs and SMEs.
Conestoga College is grateful for the funding and opportunity to deliver further value to our stakeholders within Ontario. Our future ACPs will better reflect the impact of the Centre for Commercialization and the growing role that Conestoga College has in Ontario’s commercialization and innovation landscape.