On June 3, 2021 the Retail Council of Canada announced the winners of the 28th Canadian Grand Prix New Products Awards, recognizing top products introduced into the Canadian market in 2020.
The Research Innovation Office at the University of Guelph (U of G), in partnership with the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, a collaboration between the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and the U of G, hosted the Gryphon’s LAAIR Pitch Competition, the highlight of the Research Innovation Festival.
The University of Guelph has a long tradition of innovative research with real-world applications. In 2016, to recognize those innovations that have made, or the potential to make, real-world impact and generate value for Canada, the University of Guelph Innovation of the Year Award was established.
FloNergia is making waves in the aquaculture and water purification sectors with energy efficient airlift pumps that were created using the research of Dr. Wael Ahmed. Even before this Canadian start-up incorporated in 2016, the Research Innovation Office (RIO) was actively supporting Dr. Ahmed and FloNergia to help them to navigate toward success. Today – just five years after formation – FloNergia is a global company with distributors in North and South America, Europe and Asia.
Innovative University of Guelph (UofG) graduate students were big winners at the recent Proteus Innovation Competition, a contest that strives to move technology from academia to the marketplace.
The University of Guelph’s Research Innovation Office’s (RIO) programming and services really paid off in 2020 when several companies that were either developed or assisted through the office reached new heights in terms of discoveries, investments and revenues. Here are just some of the thriving businesses that were #CreatedatGuelph:
Serial entrepreneur helps found company that’s combatting COVID-19
Canadian prairie based food expert Dan Clapson brings a national scope to the University of Guelph’s Gryphon’s LAAIR (Leading to the Accelerated Adoption of Innovative Research) Pitch Competition Finale as emcee for the May 19, 2021 awards event.
Despite the devastation of COVID-19, this has been a true breakout year for Harvest Genomics (HG), the 2020 winner of the University of Guelph’s $10,000 Gryphon's LAAIR pitch competition.
“The LAAIR competition was a tremendous platform to accelerate the growth of this exciting start-up,” says Dana McCauley, Director of New Venture Creation in the University’s Research Innovation Office.
The first annual Research Innovation Festival will be a springtime celebration of cutting-edge agri-technology businesses that have their roots in the University of Guelph’s research community.
Everything from advanced nanotechnology that helps fight disease and viruses to a convenient online education platform for busy veterinarians will be on display.
An impressive lineup of international investors and agri-food industry leaders will judge the 2021 edition of the Gryphon’s LAAIR (Leading to the Accelerated Adoption of Innovative Research) Pitch Competition.