Gryphon's LAAIR Showcase and Competition
Gryphon’s LAAIR (Leading to the Accelerated Adoption of Innovative Research) is a program funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the University of Guelph (U of G) through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance and is designed to support the commercialization of research findings. The Gryphon’s LAAIR funding program aims to take the best research and use it to develop new products which should attract private sector funding, create jobs and make Ontario more competitive.
Traditionally, the Gryphon's LAAIR program supported researchers in turning their ideas into marketable products or services through two types of commercialization grants and in 2019 the program expanded with the addition of the Gryphon's LAAIR Innovation Showcase and Pitch Competition.
Want to learn more about the Gryphon’s LAAIR? Watch this video featuring David Hobson, Manager, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship to find out about the history of the Gryphon's LAAIR funding program, learn about the programs goals, successes, current projects and future in transforming U of G inventions into innovations that people and industry will buy and use.
The Event
The Research Innovation Office at the U of G is pleased to host the annual Gryphon's LAAIR Innovation Showcase and Pitch Competition in celebration of the amazing innovators who are putting knowledge into action in ways that have a real-world impact!
The Innovation Showcase portion of the event shares dialogue and case studies that highlight the many ways U of G researchers identify needs and validate concepts that can be used by external stakeholders and highlights partnerships that have successfully brought research results to market to address today's complex issues. The Gryphon’s LAAIR Pitch Competition sees corporations who have roots in the U of G research community go head-to-head in hopes of winning the Grand Prize, People's Choice Award or attracting partnership/investment.
Return to the LAAIR
The Gryphon's LAAIR Innovation Showcase and Pitch Competition is set to return Friday, March 24, 2023 with new teams and technologies.
Past Events
Curious about past events and the innovations featured? Check out the past Gryphon's LAAIR Innovation Showcase and Pitch Competition Pages below:
- 2021 Research Innovation Festival & Gryphon's LAAIR 2021 Innovation Showcase and 2021 Pitch Competition
- 2020 Gryphon's LAAIR Innovation Showcase and 2020 Pitch Competition
- 2019 Gryphon's LAAIR Innovation Showcase and Pitch Competition
Other Events
Looking for other local opportunities to practice your pitch?
Please visit the Guelph Guide to Entrepreneurship to learn about other pitches, and events.