News Archives - Ontario Genomics

Mitacs and Ontario Genomics collaborate to advance Ontario’s genomics sector

April 23, 2026 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

Mitacs, a national innovation connector that supports business-academic research collaboration, and Ontario Genomics, a not-for-profit organization that leads the commercialization of genomics-based solutions across key sectors of the economy, have announced a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on strategic initiatives.

Through this agreement, Mitacs and Ontario Genomics will deepen collaboration to accelerate research, talent development, and commercialization across Ontario genomics and biotech sectors. This collaboration strengthens both organizations’ shared commitment to advancing innovation and delivering real-world solutions that support Canada’s economic growth and competitiveness.

Key areas of collaboration include:

Strategic initiatives: Jointly exploring scalable pilot projects and expanding opportunities for Mitacs internships within Ontario Genomics programs, including the BioCreate business accelerator and GAPP research commercialization program.
Thought leadership and ecosystem development: Engaging in joint discussions and events to advance communications, knowledge sharing, and strengthen Ontario’s innovation landscape.
Network alignment: Enhancing referral pathways and coordinated support for companies, researchers, and trainees across both organizations.

“Mitacs and Ontario Genomics share a strong commitment to advancing Ontario’s genomics ecosystem. By creating networks that connect researchers to industry and start-ups, we are accelerating R&D and building innovation capacity for strengthening Canadian economic growth, productivity, and competitiveness.”

— Dr. Stephen Lucas, CEO, Mitacs

“Ontario Genomics is focused more than ever on getting products and technologies out of the lab and into our everyday lives. This partnership with Mitacs can create real world impacts in food and agriculture, health, and cleantech by offering the people behind these innovations the kind of support they need to tangibly contribute to Canada’s economic diversification.”

— John Rafferty, CEO, Ontario Genomics

About Mitacs

For over 25 years, Mitacs has helped grow the economy and develop the workforce of tomorrow, connecting industry with academia and global partners to solve real-world challenges. We support business-academic research collaboration through internships, co-funded with businesses, for undergraduate to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.

As a national innovation connector, Mitacs takes a talent-first approach to strengthen innovation capacity and drive global competitiveness. We serve as an essential research-commercialization bridge, accelerating market entry and growth for new products and services.

This is a critical time for Canada to think big and take bold action. Mitacs is ready to help build a strong and resilient Canadian economy, powered by ideas, talent and innovation.

Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon.

About Ontario Genomics

Ontario Genomics invests in researchers and start-ups to drive industrial biotech commercialization through homegrown, cutting-edge solutions in food and agriculture, medicine and cleantech. With more than 600 partnerships and $3.5 billion in investments, we’ve been working with governments, industry and innovators for over 25 years to get ideas out of the lab and into the real world.

Ready to get your innovations out of the lab and into the marketplace?

March 18, 2026 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

GAPP 2026 is now Open for Applications

As part of the Canadian Genomics Strategy (CGS), the Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) helps commercialize research by investing in Canadian for-profit companies that are partnered with Canadian researchers.

Eligibility Criteria:

The program supports Canadian for-profit enterprises, also known as a receptor, that have an economic interest in developing an idea or research into a commercial application.
Each project must be a partnership between an industry receptor and researcher, with active roles for each, with optional support from one or more co-investigators and/or collaborators.
If the researcher has a position with the receptor, the receptor must have clear decision-making processes that are independent of the researcher.

Funding:

Total project budget can be $900,000 – $6,000,000.
NEW: Receptor organizations can receive up to 20% of the Genome Canada funding contribution.

If you meet the criteria above, we’d love to hear from you! Letters of Intent are now being accepted, but only until Friday, May 8. Learn more below:

Eight Ontario start-ups share $1.2-million Government of Canada Investment

March 12, 2026 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

BioCreate business accelerator is driving industrial biotech in Ontario

Ontario Genomics’ BioCreate business accelerator is welcoming in eight new biotech companies. Each start-up will receive seed funding, 18 months of business mentorship, access to critical infrastructure and introductions to potential investors.

This is part of a five-year, $5.6-million investment from the Government of Canada, through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), to help biotech companies commercialize their game-changing solutions in food and agriculture, health, and cleantech.

Here are the newest BioCreate start-ups:

I-RNA (London) is using precision medicine to improve diabetic retinopathy detection and treatments.
Kulture Rebellion (Toronto) is creating healthy microbial strains for the functional beverage industry.
Launch Bioindustries (Toronto) is upcycling food waste into compostable bioplastics and coatings.
New Code Oncology (Toronto) is developing AI technology to detect rare and complex cancers faster.
NuvoBio (Ottawa) is using an AI platform to speed up and de-risk peptide drug discovery.
Synakis (Toronto) is bioengineering treatments for eye diseases like retinal detachment and glaucoma.
Tessella Biosciences (Hamilton) is developing a bio-printed dissolvable bandage for burn wounds.
VascuBio Innovation (Toronto) is bioengineering tissues for the research and healthcare industries.

With an 11 per cent acceptance rate, BioCreate is known for its stringent selection process, which has yielded impressive results since its start in 2023, with companies raising $71.9 million in funding and earning sales and revenue of $26.2 million and creating/maintaining 122 jobs.

BioCreate Program Senior Director Elizabeth Gray says, “Canada is laser focused on strengthening and diversifying its economy. BioCreate is supporting this goal by giving high-potential companies the funding and critical mentorship boost they need to commercialize their products and technologies faster, not just for the benefit of this country, but for the rest of the world.”

“By supporting high‑potential start‑ups through BioCreate,” said the Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, “we are helping bring made‑in‑Ontario innovations to market faster and building a stronger, more competitive economy for Canadians.”

For more details on these new companies and the other 24 already in the accelerator, go to BioCreate.ca.

Ontario Genomics invests in researchers and start-ups to drive industrial biotech through homegrown, cutting-edge solutions in food and agriculture, medicine and cleantech. With more than 600 partnerships and $3.5 billion in investments, we’ve been working with governments, industry and innovators for over 25 years to get ideas out of the lab and into the real world. Learn more at OntarioGenomics.ca.

About FedDev Ontario
Since 2009, the Government of Canada, through FedDev Ontario, has worked to advance and diversify the southern Ontario economy through funding opportunities and business services that support innovation, growth and job creation in Canada’s most populous region. The Agency has delivered impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving productivity, growing revenues, creating jobs, and in the economic advancement of communities across the region. Learn more about the impact the Agency is having in southern Ontario by exploring our impact stories, our Southern Ontario Spotlight, and FedDev Ontario’s X, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn accounts.

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Media Contacts
Maggie Blood
Innovation Communications and Public Affairs Manager
Ontario Genomics
mblood@ontariogenomics.ca

Sofia Ouslis
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Innovation and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
sofia.ouslis@ised-isde.gc.ca

HARVEST Accelerator – Growing smarter with biotechnology

February 23, 2026 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

Calling all upcycling and agricultural cleantech companies!

HARVEST is a brand-new business accelerator investing in Canadian cleantech and agricultural companies. By scaling up their biotechnologies or processes, these companies will strengthen Canada’s agriculture and food economy.

This two-year partnership between Ontario Genomics, Genome Alberta and Genome Prairie will award up to $750K per project to companies under two streams:

wasteCANcreate
Ontario Genomics is investing in waste-upcycling companies across Canada, with a focus on valorizing agricultural and/or food-and-beverage waste or by-products to improve biomanufacturing processes and commercialize new bio-based products.

PACT (Primary Agriculture Clean Technologies)
Genome Alberta and Genome Prairie are investing in sustainable agriculture companies in Canada with a focus on agricultural production and crop improvement, including water and fertilizer use, pest/disease resistance and environmental resilience.

“HARVEST is an amazing agri-tech accelerator that will bring farmers, start-up companies, food processors and other manufacturers together to solve industry problems. In today’s world, Canada needs to come together to protect our most important industries and innovate to make them more competitive in the future.” – John Rafferty, President & CEO, Ontario Genomics

“Genome Prairie, in partnership with Ontario Genomics and Genome Alberta, are delighted to announce this first-of-its-kind initiative. HARVEST marks a bold new era of cooperation and collaboration that will boost Canadian commercial enterprises seeking to bring their biotechnology innovations to market. Now is the time for Canada to reap the benefits from its numerous investments in research. Genome Prairie is proud to play a key role in this journey towards greater national prosperity.” – Mike Cey, President & CEO, Genome Prairie

“We are proud to bring Alberta’s strong track record in agricultural innovation to this new national collaboration with Genome Prairie and Ontario Genomics. HARVEST will help primary agriculture companies across Canada accelerate market-ready genomics and biotechnology solutions to reduce emissions while maintaining productivity. By translating research into real-world technologies, we’re strengthening competitiveness, supporting producers, and advancing sustainable economic growth.” – David Bailey, President & CEO, Genome Alberta

“Canada’s bioeconomy is built on innovation, collaboration and purpose. Genome Canada is thrilled to see HARVEST bringing regional strengths together to accelerate growth for Canadian agri-food companies and drive environmental sustainability in our food systems.” – Rob Annan, President & CEO of Genome Canada

Click here for further HARVEST program details.
Intake forms are due on March 18, 2026.

We’re also hosting a webinar on Monday, March 2 at 2:30 EST to explain the program and answer any questions you may have before applying.
Register here for the online info session.

Ontario Genomics Welcomes New Board Members

November 3, 2025 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

As we sharpen our focus on commercialization, we’re delighted to introduce you to four new members of Ontario Genomics’ Board of Directors to help us chart a new course and achieve our strategic goals.

Maureen Adamson, President of Fleming College and Interim President and CEO of Colleges Ontario, has more than 25 years of leadership experience in the post-secondary, health care, government and non-profit sectors.

Maureen has served as Ontario’s deputy minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport and deputy minister of the Status of Women. Other previous roles include president and CEO of the Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, CEO of Cystic Fibrosis Canada and vice-president of corporate services at Mohawk College.

Her volunteer work includes chairing the board of directors for Research Canada, serving as vice-chair and commissioner for the Toronto Transit Commission, and the inaugural chair of the Scarborough Health Network hospital in 2018 through Covid. She has been the inaugural chair of the Scarborough Health Research Institute since 2021.

Ian Ash is an entrepreneur and technology executive with over 25 years of experience scaling innovative technology companies.

As Co-Founder of Dig Insights, he helped build the company into a global organization and launched the high-growth SaaS platform, Upsiide, leading to a successful private equity exit.

Ian brings deep expertise in commercialization, strategic planning, and building the frameworks that turn innovative ideas into profitable enterprises. He is passionate about helping bridge the monetization gap for science and technology start-ups.

Pierre Meulien was most recently the Executive Director of the Innovative Medicines Initiative and oversaw its transition to the Innovative Health Initiative, a €2.4 billion cross-sector initiative in the health innovation ecosystem in Europe. He is now an independent consultant in biomedical R&I.

Previously, Dr Meulien was President and CEO of Genome Canada (2010-15) and was Chief Scientific Officer for Genome British Columbia. He has also served as founding CEO of the Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre and worked in the private sector with the French biotechnology company Transgene, and with Aventis Pasteur (now Sanofi Pasteur) as Director of Research at the Marcy l’Etoile (France) facility and then Senior Vice President for R&D at the Willowdale site (Ontario).

Greg Pope is Managing Partner of GDLP Advisors Inc., where he provides financial expertise and leadership to a variety of organizations in a number of different sectors.

With his deep financial background in multiple industries spanning four provinces, he provides clients with experienced financial leadership in areas such as raising capital, M&A, and bolstering the overall strength & effectiveness of the finance function within publicly traded and private organizations.

Greg has served in directorship roles in both corporate and charitable environments, bringing over 15 years of experience as Chief Financial Officer in the restaurant, retail, information technology and healthcare industries. Greg is currently a member of Memorial University’s Faculty of Business Advisory Board and has previously served on the boards of the National Arts Centre Foundation, CNIB, and certain corporate entities.

Dominique Tertigas is a PhD candidate at McMaster University in the Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences in the lab of Dr. Michael Surette. Dominique’s PhD project focuses on the gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Her work combines microbiology, genomics, and metagenomics to discover novel pathogens in IBD. Dominique has been awarded several scholarships, including the Canadian Graduate Scholarship (Master’s) and Ontario Graduate Scholarships, to support her research.

Dominique is a part of McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Infectious Disease Research and Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute. As a trainee in these institutes, Dominique helps organize student-run conferences, plan trainee workshops, and mentor trainees in learning bioinformatics. Dominique has also applied her expertise in microbiome research to additional projects investigating the microbiome in the context of antibiotics, probiotic use, One Health, and more!

Dominique brings these experiences and training perspectives to Ontario Genomics’ Board as the student representative.

Ontario Genomics is also bidding farewell to a couple of retiring board members.

Alan Winter (Former BC Innovation Commissioner) joined in October 2017 and was the Chair of the Governance, HR, and Nominating Committee and shared his extensive genomics and genome foundations expertise with the organization.
Tom Corr (Former President and CEO, Ontario Centres of Excellence) brought his deep innovation expertise when he joined the Board in September 2018, and held several roles including Chair of the Finance & Audit Committee, former Vice Chair of the Board, member of the Private Sector Advisory Committee (PSAC).

Both Tom and Alan have made lasting contributions to the organization by playing a central role in launching the 2021 Strategic Plan, supporting the organization through leadership transitions, as well as helping guide Ontario Genomics through the COVID-19 pandemic, an era that also saw the inception of BioCreate, our best-in-class accelerator. We are thankful for their years of deep commitment to our board.

What if we could?

October 8, 2025 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

25 years in and decades more to go at Ontario Genomics!

This year’s annual report comes at a milestone time and the past year has been a remarkable one with exciting progress in our health, cleantech and food and agriculture projects.

As Ontario Genomics marks its 25th year, we celebrate our success in funding cutting-edge science projects that are producing homegrown solutions to some of humanity’s biggest challenges. In this 2024-25 annual report, you’ll see how we’re backing real winners in precision healthcare, biotech SMEs, food biomanufacturing, environmental testing and waste upcycling.

Looking into the future of the province’s workforce, we also ensure Ontario’s young people are informed and inspired about all the exciting opportunities biotechnology is creating, and how they can be a part of it. Now, more than ever, Ontario Genomics is focused on getting innovative research out of the lab and into the real world for everyone’s benefit.

This report features several inspiring examples of how our exceptional team nurtures ideas into reality. We hope you’re as motivated by it as we are! What if we could is more than a theme, it’s a commitment to transforming scientific discovery into practical, market-ready solutions. As Ontario Genomics enters its next 25 years, we will continue to turn this vision into impact for Ontario, Canada and the world.

Ontario Genomics’ Regional GAPP

October 6, 2025 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

Fuelling Ontario’s Next Generation of Biotech Spinouts

Ontario Genomics is launching our Regional Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) to accelerate the commercialization of academic discoveries into made-in-Ontario biotech solutions.

Ontario is home to world-class researchers and institutions producing groundbreaking discoveries, yet many of them fail to progress beyond the lab. That’s because spinout companies (formed to commercialize academic intellectual property) that bring these innovations to market are often stifled by insufficient access to capital, long commercialization timelines and limited business expertise.

Thanks in part to a four year, $4 million commitment from Genome Canada, Ontario Genomics’ Regional GAPP is addressing these challenges by supporting spinouts at this critical lab-to-company technology transfer stage, facilitating R&D capacity, independence from academia and positioning them for seed financing. The end results will fuel job creation, company retention, IP generation and attract foreign investment, while reinforcing Ontario’s economic resilience and global reputation in genomics innovation.

Eligibility Criteria:

Your spinout company is incorporated in Canada and based in Ontario
Your spinout can commit $222,578 cash or in-kind over the two years of the program
Your technology is genomics or biotech enabled
Your spinout company is partnered with an Ontario-based researcher
Your company has at least two people (if the lead project researcher is also the CEO, the company’s governance board must have at least one additional member)

If you meet the above criteria, please visit the program page and fill out the intake form by Oct 24th.

BioCreate Cohorts 6 & 7 are now open

May 31, 2025 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

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.

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

May 14, 2025 by ON Genomics 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.

John M. Rafferty joins Ontario Genomics as new President & CEO

March 27, 2025 by ON Genomics Leave a Comment

Ontario Genomics Names John M. Rafferty as New CEO to Champion Made-in-Ontario Innovation

Ontario Genomics is pleased to announce the appointment of John M. Rafferty as its new President & Chief Executive Officer, effective March 31, 2025. A visionary and dynamic leader with 25 years of experience driving innovation and impact in diverse organizations, John brings extensive experience in advancing transformative initiatives across sectors.

John joins Ontario Genomics following his tenure as President & CEO of CNIB, where he led the organization through a period of unprecedented growth and impact, expanding its national reach and strengthening partnerships across industries. His leadership in fostering innovation, strategic collaborations, and policy advocacy has been instrumental in creating meaningful change for blind individuals and communities across Canada.

As he steps into his new role at Ontario Genomics, John is committed to accelerating the commercialization of innovative genomic technologies and advancing “made-in-Ontario” solutions to address some of the world’s greatest challenges. Under his leadership, Ontario Genomics will continue to build strong partnerships between researchers, industry, and government to unlock the full economic and societal potential of genomics in Ontario and beyond.

We are also pleased to announce the promotion of Dr. Jordan Thomson to Chief Scientific Officer and Head of Commercialization. Jordan steps into his new role after successfully serving as COO for the past thirteen months. Jordan’s deep expertise in genomics technologies and their commercialization pathways, coupled with John’s leadership, will create a powerful team to drive market adoption and impact.

We also extend our deepest gratitude to Stephen Cummings, who has served as Interim President & CEO for the past year. His steadfast leadership has been instrumental in guiding Ontario Genomics through a pivotal period of transition. Stephen’s dedication has strengthened our position as a leader in the genomics ecosystem, and we thank him for his invaluable contributions.

Please join us in welcoming John to Ontario Genomics and watch this space for more exciting news in the weeks ahead!