The goals of this program are to:

Enable the candidate to complete a marketable prototype of their research along with proof of concept, while undergoing training in business creation within the framework of a program offered by an entrepreneurial support organization linked to IVADO. The business proposal should be in the area of digital intelligence, ideally in IVADO’s areas of excellence.
Encourage young researchers to invest themselves in Montréal to develop new businesses based on scientific advances.
Participate in the development of scientific entrepreneurship and encourage the transfer of scientific knowledge and/or intellectual property developed in academia to the market.

For the candidate :

– You must be eligible to register as a postdoctoral fellow at HEC Montreal, Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal, McGill University or Université Laval, on the funding start date;
– You must have submitted your doctoral thesis by the start date of funding;
– You own or will own a significant share of the company founded or co-founded. If the company is already founded, it must be very recent and it must not have carried out any significant commercial activities;
– Some flexibility will be granted in the case of applicants who provide adequate explanation for a career interruption or particular circumstances. Please include this explanation (e.g., parental leave, sick leave) in your application.

For the professor (supervisor) :

– You must be a faculty member at one of the following institutions: HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, Université de Montréal, McGill University or Université Laval, at the time of the start of funding.
– You must have one of the following eligible statuses: assistant professor, associate professor, full professor, research professor, or visiting professor. Adjunct professors are not eligible;
– If you meet the preceding criteria and are the PhD candidate’s thesis director or co-director, you are also eligible.
– You may not submit more than one application for this competition.

For the eventual co-director, there are no restrictions.

An agreement with the Arbour Foundation also provides access to a $5,000 grant per year, for a total of $10,000, on a Mitacs Accelerate Internship. The remaining $2500 industrial contribution must be paid by the startup’s own funds.
* New this year * IVADO is partnering with Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives to offer a 3rd funding opportunity for a project specifically in AI and neuroscience. This offer, funded by McGill, will be open to their affiliated postdocs for projects related to neuroscience, digital health and medical devices. Three winners will be able to produce a marketable prototype from their doctoral research, while receiving $105,000 in salary funding for 18 months, plus up to $30,000 in research funds or other programs in the case of McGill.