Grant: College and Community Innovation Program

The Seneca Centre for Innovation in Life Sciences (SCILS) will serve an unmet need among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). SCILS will enable industry-academic partnerships to further develop, enhance and validate life sciences technologies and products in the areas of diagnostics and cosmetics. As an integral component of the life sciences innovation ecosystem in the GTA, through partnerships with regional innovation centres, incubators and business networks, SCILS will connect industry with Seneca faculty and students to collaborate on applied research projects. SCILS industry partners will benefit from Seneca's resources and expertise in the following areas: product formulation; assay development and validation; method development and process optimization; product stability enhancement and testing; and quality control and regulatory affairs.As a result of funding through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada's College-Community Innovation Program - Innovation Enhancement Grant, SCILS will grow the capacity for applied research in Seneca's School of Biological Sciences and Applied Chemistry. Specifically, long-term funding will allow Seneca to hire more faculty to conduct applied research and dedicate more equipment for this purpose. This increased capacity will enable Seneca to continue contributing to the competitiveness and productivity of regional life sciences SMEs. Further, SCILS will provide more experiential learning opportunities for students to develop high-demand skills, knowledge and experience, and transition seamlessly into the life sciences workforce upon graduation. Ultimately, through its focus on life sciences talent and investment in research and development, SCILS will play a significant role in the growth of the life sciences sector in Ontario, enabling early-stage diagnostics and cosmetics companies to reach commercialization and scale their businesses.