What's New

2012 Entrepreneur-in-Residence ( Feb. 8, , 2012)

The Industry Liaison Office, in conjunction with the College of Agriculture and Bioresources and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine would like to welcome the 2012 Entrepreneur-in-Residence Michael Chubb. To see press release click here. For more information on the Entrepreneur-in-Residence Program and to contact Michael Chubb click here.

2012 Award of Innovation (closing date: Feb. 17, 2012)

We are seeking nominees for the 2012 Award of Innovation. This award is sponsored jointly by Innovation Place and the Industry Liaison Office and has a cash value of CAD$10,000. Nominations and supporting material must be submitted to our office before 4:00 p.m. on February 17, 2011. Find details here.

Chubb Joins Ranks of U of S ( By Scott Larsor, The StarPhoenix, February 8, 2012 )

Michael Chubb will be planting seeds of entrepreneurial spirit among faculty and students of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources and the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, hoping some will grow thriving companies one day.

Chubb, a local life sciences business veteran, has been named entrepreneur-in-residence for 2012 by the University of Saskatchewan Industry Liaison Office, in conjunction with the two colleges.

The entrepreneur-in-residence program aims to create collaboration among businesses and the university, and help commercialize U of S researchers’ know-how and technology.

Chubb will work in the colleges with researchers, professors and students interested in the commercial potential of their technology. He will also encourage new thinking for research and how the outcome might have some commercial potential.

“I look forward to engaging the researchers, professors and students to turn knowledge into tangible business opportunities,” Chubb said. “I will help them think about entrepreneurial opportunity, not necessarily following the academic ivory tower path, to look at finding ways to create value out of those creations that they have researched.”

2012 Business Plan Competition - Tech Venture Challenge (Feb. 1, 2012)

The Industry Liaison Office at the University of Saskatchewan is pleased to announce a new business plan competition for entrepreneurs with a technology-based business idea.

The Tech Venture Challenge gives University of Saskatchewan employees, researchers, students and alumni an opportunity to pursue their dream of creating their own company.

• Finalists receive ongoing mentorship, guidance, and training.
• The Winner receives $50,000 to go towards the development of the business.

Industry Liaison Office at the U of S Gives a Helping Hand to Start-ups (January 19, 2012)

You can have the best idea in the world, but it's not worth much if you can't get it to market.

Glen Schuler and his staff at the Industry Liaison Office (ILO) at the University of Saskatchewan are trying to make sure every good idea or technology coming out of the campus has a chance to get to the marketplace.

"We accelerate the commercialization of university research and knowledge," said Schuler, ILO's managing director.

The ILO, established in 2004, is helping shepherd new technologies either by licensing the technology to existing companies or creating technology-based startup companies.

Lorna Shaw-Lennox, ILO's startup company specialist, said after a new technology comes to the office, they determine the value of the technology and do a market feasibility study.

If the results are positive, they determine what the best way would be to get the technology to market.

"If it only has one application, we don't recommend a startup," said Schuler, adding it would probably be best to licence it to an existing company. On the other hand, if the technology has more than one use, a startup company might be the best method.

One such company that has been helped by ILO is CollegeMobile. Read more from The StarPhoenix.

Commercializing Creativity – Innovation and Technology Coming Out of the University Labs (January 15, 2012)

The University of Saskatchewan Industry Liaison Office (ILO) adds value to the economy by accelerating the commercialization of new knowledge and research. This is achieved through licensing the technology to existing companies or creating technology based companies.

Since the ILO was established in 2004, the U of S has moved into the top 12% of Canadian universities and the top 28% of North American universities for technology commercialization (source: annual survey completed by Association of University Technology Managers).

Since 2004, the U of S's licensing income has increased almost seven-fold to nearly S7.3 million per year. The ILO manages $6 million of this total, where 50% flows to inventors and the other 50% is re-invested in the U of S.

The ILO technology transfer officers and managers, with expertise in key sectors, work with researchers to evaluate new ideas and facilitate intellectual property protection. They then identify companies interested in licensing these new technologies. Working with these companies means facilitating opportunities to directly engage researchers and create more competitive businesses, thereby improving Saskatoon’s business and innovation environment. Read more ...

Media Advisory: Ideas Inc. launches Cutting Edge Program and Announces Presenting Sponsors (September 12, 2011)

The Industry Liaison Office at U of S is pleased to support the new Ideas Inc. ICT. College Mobile as a U of S Start-Up has been one of the first companies to move into the ICT incubator and have already benefited from this arrangement. The office launch of the Ideas Inc ICT will be Monday, Sept 12 10:00. Read More ...

Strengthening Higher Education Stakeholder Relations in Africa Project (August 17, 2011)

The Industry Liaison Office is delighted to welcome Dr. Yosef Mammo (President) and Dr. Tesfaye Abebe (Director, Research & Development) from Hawassa University in Ethiopia. The delegates will be visiting many colleges and faculty members at the University of Saskatchewan during their two week visit.

The University of Saskatchewan has partnered with Ebonyi State University and Hawassa University to strengthen their community and industry linkages. Delegates from the two African Universities will be in Canada from August 13-27 to explore our Saskatchewan Model of University-Industry/Community Engagement. This is funded through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

CollegeMobile Update (July 27, 2011)

U of S spin-off company CollegeMobile announced today that it’s FaceMobile iPad application has been rapidly moving up the charts of paid Apps on iTunes. It is currently sitting at #27 among iPad entertainment downloads and #47 among Top Grossing iPad Entertainment apps in Canada!

FaceMobile for Facebook keeps you connected to all of your Facebook friends while you are on the go! Its interactive format allows you to browse through friends, photos, write on others walls and like various pages all from your iPad. FaceMobile is user friendly and keeps all the important channels for viewing in an column on the left-hand side, making the right side easily accessible for browsing.

The App can be found here: http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/id449078400?s=143455

U of S and POS Bio-Sciences Collaborate to Commercialize Technology (July 22, 2011)

The University of Saskatchewan and POS Bio-Sciences, a Saskatoon-based bioprocessing contract research and development organization, have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to advance technology development and commercialization.

The MOA enables collaboration that will accelerate both parties’ shared objectives to help grow the Saskatchewan and Canadian economies through the generation of commercially valuable technologies.

Read more ...