Main Menu
Main Menu
Menu

Archives for May 2025

BioCreate Cohorts 6 & 7 are now open

by Leave a Comment

BioCreate Program

Attention start-ups!
BioCreate applications are now open

Ontario Genomics’ BioCreate accelerator is now open to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in southern Ontario looking to commercialize genomics and engineering biology enabled products and/or technologies in the health, food and agriculture and cleantech sectors at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4+.

What does BioCreate do? We provide funding, access to mentorship and unique business support to help companies bring new products and technologies to market.


Program Highlights:
  • Direct, non-repayable funding of $150,000.
  • Access to 18 months of intensive business mentorship and critical infrastructure through Ontario Genomics’ strategic sectoral and regional partnerships.
  • An investor showcase for each cohort, giving companies the opportunity to pitch to investors and potential partners.
Online Program Info Session

If you’re interested in learning more about BioCreate, join us Thursday, June 12 at noon for a 30 minute run down on program eligibility, application timelines and what to expect along your BioCreate journey. Whether you’re in health, agri-food or cleantech, this is your chance to bring your genomics-enabled innovation to market with world-class support backing you up.

Register to join the session
Biocreate header with three phases
Application Steps and Dates
Interested? Review the Program Guide for more information on BioCreate, including eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria, then fill out the BioCreate intake form and a representative from our team will reach out to discuss your project idea. Eligible applicants will be invited to submit an application. If you have questions, please contact BioCreate@ontariogenomics.ca. The deadline to submit an intake form is July 31. Additional details and the application process can be found on the BioCreate page.

The BioCreate program is supported by the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) and Ontario Genomics.

eDNA Surveillance can tell us nature’s secrets

by Leave a Comment

As humans, we don’t live in a bubble. We’re connected to all living things around us, so it only makes sense to better understand the impact humans, animals and the environment have on each other. That’s where Environmental DNA (eDNA) comes in!

This advanced surveillance technique is emerging as a non-invasive and population-level method to better understand how our changing climate is impacting all living things, especially human health. Ontario Genomics is funding two new projects through Genome Canada’s eDNA Surveillance Initiative that gives regional support to better develop more sensitive and accurate detection methods.

One project will help two First Nations communities develop and implement new eDNA/eRNA tools for wastewater and ecological monitoring, while the other will track and correlate environmental and clinical antimicrobial resistance. An ethical and inclusive governance policy framework will be co-created with First Nations communities to ensure privacy protection, confidentiality and data integrity while respecting Indigenous sovereignty.

For more information, contact Laura Riley, Director, Sector Innovation & Programs.

eDNA-Surveillance-Initiative