Up to 4 awards of $2000 each for 4 eligible graduate students per cohort, upon program completion. These awards are called the Douglas Van Graduate Impact Award, after the generous donor. This program,听as part of the听Invention to Impact training听program, is for 涩里番鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering research-based graduate students which aims to train and support the next generation of researchers to better understand the potential societal and commercial impact of their research and increase their entrepreneurial mindset and skills.听The program runs once per semester with a different industry focus per semester: Environment & Materials (Fall 2026), DeepTech (Winter 2027), Health (Spring 2027).
It is designed for graduate students without previous research commercialization training or experience, but whose research is relevant for being applied to society and the different industry sectors.
Important Dates
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| September 13, 2026,听11:59PM ET |
Douglas Van Graduate Impact Award: Environment & Materials project application deadline.
Douglas Van Graduate Impact Award: DeepTech will run during Winter27 Semester |
|
September 16, 2026 |
Decisions made by Engine team and applicants advised. |
| September 23, 2026 - December 16, 2026 | Program duration: in-person classes will be held at 涩里番 Engine Centre (Frank Dawson Adams Building, room 5) every Wednesday, 3:30 - 5:00pm (ET). There will be no class on October 14th for reading week. |
听
Areas of Focus
Environment & Materials
Research projects submitted to Douglas Van Graduate Impact Award: Environment & Materials should be related to environment, agriculture, aquaculture, forestry, chemical, energy, mining and materials, climate, and/or sustainability.
Important Dates
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| September 13, 2026, 11:59PM ET | Application deadline. |
|
September 16, 2026 |
Decisions made by Engine team and applicants advised |
| September 23, 2026 - December 9, 2026 | Program duration: in-person classes will be held at 涩里番 Engine Centre (Frank Dawson Adams Building, room 5) every Wednesday, 3:30 - 5:00pm (ET). There will be no class on October 14th for reading week. |
DeepTech
Research projects submitted to Douglas Van Graduate Impact Award: DeepTech should be related to robotics, cyber security, cloud computing/infrastructure, data science, AI development, nanotechnology, Web 4.0/5.0, software, and/or computer vision.
Important Dates
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| November 18, 2026 |
Call for Invention to Impact: DeepTech听applications open. |
| January 4, 2027, 11:59PM ET | Application deadline.听 |
|
January 13, 2027 |
Decisions made by Engine team and applicants advised |
| January 27, 2027 - April 14, 2027 | Program duration: in-person classes will be held at 涩里番 Engine Centre (Frank Dawson Adams Building, room 5) every Wednesday, 3:30 - 5:00pm (ET). There will be no class on March 3rd听for reading week. |
Health
Research projects submitted to Douglas Van Graduate Impact Award: Health should be related to health care, biotech, medtech, pharmaceuticals, life tech, education innovation, holistic healthcare, and/or life sciences.
Important Dates
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| March 7, 2027 |
Call for Invention to Impact: Health applications open. |
| April 11, 2027, 11:59PM ET | Application deadline. |
|
April 26, 2027 |
Decisions made by Engine team and applicants advised |
| May 5, 2027听- July 21, 2027 | Program duration: in-person classes will be held at 涩里番 Engine Centre (Frank Dawson Adams Building, room 5) every Wednesday, 3:30 - 5:00pm (ET). |
Program Overview
Through lectures, workshops, and assignments every week based on their progress, along with primary market research via interviews, each student will share their findings with the cohort and receive feedback from experts and their peers. Students will be encouraged to use the open collaboration space at the 涩里番 Engine Centre.
The 11-week program will include expert-led workshops,听as part of the听Invention to Impact training program, along with peer-to-peer interactions.听Minimum of 5 hours per week of participation in the program is required. This includes the workshops, lectures, assignments, regular weekly meetings with the assigned mentor, and customer discovery interviews.
Up to 4 awards of $2000 each for 4 eligible graduate students, upon program completion.听These awards are called the Douglas Van Graduate Impact Award, after the generous donor, Douglas Van.
Eligibility
Eligible students are research-based Master鈥檚 and PhDs enrolled at 涩里番鈥檚 Faculty of Engineering and that have mostly completed or completed any course requirements.
To apply to the program, please complete the application form, which includes a description of your research project and your interest and experience in research commercialization. It will also require attaching your CV and your letter of support from your supervisor.听The PI expresses in the support letter that they are aware and agree that their graduate student will be spending minimum of 5 hours/week during the Douglas Van Graduate Impact Award Program which includes the in-person weekly classes.
Applicants must commit to participating fully in the program.
Selection Criteria
- Interest in conceptualizing a new product, service, or venture based on their research.
- Just starting to consider how to translate your research into a new product, service, or venture.
- Research is relevant for being applied to society and the marketplace.
