/innovation/articles/rss en /innovation/article/fourth-edition-mif-puts-spotlight-life-science <div> <div> <div> <p>Entrepreneurial spirit is thriving at º«¹úÂãÎè, as shown by a record-breaking 31 applications to the º«¹úÂãÎè Innovation Fund (MIF) this year. Since its inception in 2020, the MIF has been a catalyst for cutting-edge innovation, and this year’s cohort marks the most competitive pool of candidates yet. The seven selected teams are all in the area of life science working to deliver groundbreaking technologies and solutions to global challenges.</p></div></div></div> Mon, 20 Jan 2025 15:25:36 +0000 Junji Nishihata and Sara Bauman 74682 at /innovation /innovation/article/future-farming-vertical <p>Global food <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/global-land-for-agriculture#:~:text=In%20the%20visualization%2C%20we%20see,land%20is%20used%20for%20agriculture.">production must increase 70%</a> by 2050 to meet the growing population demand.</p> Thu, 09 Jan 2025 17:36:54 +0000 Sara Bauman 74670 at /innovation /innovation/article/cao-creator <p>Professor Changhong Cao from º«¹úÂãÎè’s Faculty of Engineering is no stranger to the MIF. An Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and a Chwang-Seto Faculty Scholar, Cao is also an MIF veteran having won both the <i>Discover</i> ($25,000) and <i>Develop</i> ($50,000) MIF awards. Manifesting a bold entrepreneurial impulse, he has harnessed these resources to push the boundaries of his groundbreaking research in microchip-based characterization technology.</p> Thu, 09 Jan 2025 19:06:52 +0000 Sara Bauman 74671 at /innovation /innovation/article/right-treatment-right-patients <p>In these polarized times, there seems to be one thing everyone agrees on: Canada's healthcare system is in crisis.</p> Wed, 20 Nov 2024 18:14:35 +0000 Sara Bauman and Charlotte Bawol 74666 at /innovation /innovation/article/here-paternity <p>Disruption. If there is one buzzword in the modern economy, this is it. Every entrepreneur claims to be doing it, every investor is looking for it, but how many are actually capable of it? And what does it really mean anyway?</p> <p>The phrase ‘disruptive innovation’ has been bandied about since the late 1990s thanks to Harvard professor Clayton Christensen, who identified it as a process whereby a product or service takes root at the bottom of the market and eventually displaces established competitors.</p> Wed, 20 Nov 2024 19:24:10 +0000 Junji Nishihata 74667 at /innovation /innovation/article/mcgill-innovation-fund-launches-4th-edition-major-support-desjardins <p>º«¹úÂãÎè and Desjardins Group are teaming up to support research-based innovation. North America’s largest co-operative financial group will provide the º«¹úÂãÎè Innovation Fund (MIF) – the biggest entrepreneurial competition at º«¹úÂãÎè – with $500,000 over five years.</p> <p>The money will fund $100,000 in prizes each year for teams in the Deploy stage of the competition, for projects that have already started to implement their commercialization plan and can demonstrate that they have the potential to go much further.</p> Thu, 19 Sep 2024 13:24:58 +0000 Junji Nishihata 74438 at /innovation /innovation/article/antibiotic-free-treatment-infection-new-technology-potential-fight-against-antimicrobial-resistance <p>Although they were only used for the first time in 1910, antibiotics have become the foundation of modern medicine. In a world without antibiotics, a simple paper cut could lead to a deadly infection and infectious diseases were the leading cause of death. By some estimates, the invention of antibiotics have extended the average human lifespan by 23 years in the <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369527419300190#:~:text=In%20just%20over%20100%20years,peaked%20in%20the%20mid%2D1950s.">past century</a>.</p> Fri, 31 May 2024 16:57:28 +0000 Charlotte Bawol 74212 at /innovation /innovation/article/its-air-future-pathogen-detection <p>Four years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise. From the way people interacted, to the way they learned and worked, society changed in fundamental ways, and we are still processing the impact. One outcome was the increased concern about the air we breathe and the particles we inhale on a day-to-day basis. Before the advent of masks and social distancing, little thought was given to the air that surrounds us.</p> Thu, 09 May 2024 16:13:41 +0000 Charlotte Bawol 74170 at /innovation /innovation/article/mif-team-search-unicorn-battery-technology Professor Philippe Ouzilleau and Yee Wei Foong are creating an alternative to lithium-ion batteries which is less environmentally costly, and simpler to both manufacture and recycle. With the help of the º«¹úÂãÎè Innovation Fund (MIF) the team is getting closer to making this a reality. Fri, 15 Mar 2024 16:39:17 +0000 Charlotte Bawol 74046 at /innovation /innovation/article/matter-fact-it-rocket-science-iron-based-fuel-powered-mif New technology by º«¹úÂãÎè entrepreneurs and their spinoff Altiro Energy uses iron as a fuel alternative to greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels. With support from the º«¹úÂãÎè Iinnovation Fund (MIF), they aim to test the project on a commercial scale and decarbonize the future of energy. Thu, 01 Feb 2024 18:35:05 +0000 Charlotte Bawol 73941 at /innovation