Are you part of the upcoming generation of researchers already involved in entrepreneurship?
Scientific and Innovative
Venture Program (SIVP)
Get the support you need to transform your research project into an entrepreneurial venture.
Commitment - Full-Time
Duration - One year with possibility for renewal
In-Person and Online
Open to all candidates from the fields of STEM, social sciences, and humanities.
Bursary of excellence of $50,000 offered by the FRQ
A personalised journey including support and services
The Scientific and Innovative Venture Program (SIVP) is designed to support you in this entrepreneurial path, within an academic environment. It’s offered to PhDs from across Canada and is hosted at participating universities in Quebec:
Financial support
$50,000 in excellence bursary funding offered by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec per year to fully dedicate your time to your business, your research and the program.
Personalised Journey
Get support from our venture managers and access to workshops to guide your business and personal development. We will keep you accountable to make sure you are hitting your targets.
Connection to the ecosystem
We partner with incubators, university entrepreneurial centres and accelerator programs across Quebec to give you just in time coaching and support for your startup.
Be hosted in a Quebec University
Build your startup and do your research at participating universities across Quebec
Advisory Council
We build a customised Advisory Council for you to propel your innovation to become market-ready. Your AC will be a mix of academic and industry experts adapted to your startup needs.
And Extra Perks
Co-founder matching initiatives, marketing and branding resources, public speaking training & in kind perks from our partners.
Become part of a community of
Scientific Entrepreneurs across Quebec.
We believe in the power of the network.
When you join the SIVP program:
You will become part of a community of innovators across universities and research institutions in Quebec.
This network is something you carry with you far beyond the program, creating an impact and changing the culture in the academic ecosystem in the province.
Whether it’s helping you find a co-founder, someone to open a new market for your innovation, or to access funding to help you grow, our network will become your network.
SIVP is a key component of the path to scientific and innovative entrepreneurship pursued by the next generation of researchers in Quebec.
The ecosystem provides multiple avenues for exploring scientific entrepreneurship, validating ideas, initiating projects, and reaching milestones that enable researchers to view entrepreneurship as a viable scientific career. SIVP complements the journey of researchers by offering a province-wide postdoctoral type program that is accessible in all universities and research institutions in Quebec, regardless of their field or the sector related to the business project. This initiative follows the success of the Scientific Venture Program currently offered at Concordia University and managed by V1 Studio.
An accessible path to boost innovation
When you become an SIVP startup, we’ll find the right people to back you up. Here are some of our advisory council members helping our startups
What our startups have to say
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“I really appreciate the specific program design for each SIVP entrepreneur. I feel my program content is perfect for the stage in my journey.”
Minh-Hai Tran, Founder at Miha Biotech
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"Coming from an academic environment, I found it quite overwhelming thinking of bringing my research to the market with all the different pieces involved. V1 studio, through its scientific venture program specially curated for researchers, laid out a remarkable framework where the principles of building a startup in a lean manner were shared. "
Syed Taqvi, Founder of ABenHub
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"V1 provided me with a lot more structure for executing tasks and organizing timelines for our company. I would definitely recommend V1 to other researchers because of how effectively they immerse scientists in the entrepreneurial community. "
Brandon B Jaunky, Co-Founder of GC Lipids Tech
Want to learn more about the startups that have joined the Scientific and Innovative Venture Program?
A call to researchers and university host environments
Important! If you are a researcher, university host environment or institution interested in hosting a scientist in entrepreneurship, please contact the SIVP team to learn about expectations and minimal hosting conditions.
We invite researchers, university host environments, and research institutions to actively engage with SIVP, collaborate to create a more innovative and prosperous Quebec, and explore new avenues for research and entrepreneurship.
Benefits for established researchers and university hosting environments:
Assisting the academic community in enhancing the existing service offerings, making it more accessible for researchers interested in entrepreneurship
Overcoming cultural barriers to leverage the university connection as a springboard for the creation of scientific and innovative businesses
Promoting the transfer of research results to society
Enhancing the value of scientific entrepreneurship
A partnership to boost the innovation ecosystem in Quebec
The FRQ, Mitacs, V1 Studio, and Axelys are joining forces to offer a clearly designed pathway specifically aimed at supporting researchers who want to start a for-profit or nonprofit scientific or innovative business.
The Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ), Mitacs, Axelys, and V1 Studio are key players in the Quebec research, innovation, and scientific entrepreneurship ecosystem. They support researchers from diverse backgrounds throughout their journeys, helping them unleash their full potential.
They all share the same observation: the need to enhance the transfer of innovation originating from the academic ecosystem into solutions accessible to Quebec, Canadian, and international markets. By combining their expertise and pooling their resources, they aim to provide emerging talents with more support and create a smoother continuum for the transition to the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
SIVP is the result of this collaboration, enabling participants from Quebec universities and research institutions to turn their research into impactful businesses.
Did you miss it? Watch the launch event for the SIVP on Youtube!
About the partners:
Les Fonds de recherche du Québec
Reporting to the Minister of Economy, Innovation, and Energy, the mission of the FRQ is to ensure the strategic and coherent development of Quebec research, providing financial support and backing a diverse, creative, and agile research community. Its Directorate des grands défis (DGDS) promotes cross-sectoral research, based on co-constructed knowledge and practices, as well as the integration of science and society.
Mitacs
Inspiring innovation and designing creative solutions, Mitacs propels Canadian innovation through effective partnerships that lead to solutions for our most pressing issues. For over 20 years, Mitacs has been helping organisations achieve their business goals, funding cutting-edge innovation, and creating employment opportunities for students and postdoctoral researchers. We generate economic growth, productivity, and tangible changes to improve the quality of life for all Canadians.
Axelys
Axelys is the development and innovation transfer company for public research in Quebec. It contributes to the economic and social prosperity of the province by accelerating the maturation and deployment of high-potential inventions, know-how, or processes to turn them into innovations that can improve the world. It also contributes to the creation of scientific enterprises stemming from public research.
V1 Studio
V1 Studio is a nonprofit organization founded at Concordia, providing a safe space for researchers to explore entrepreneurship. V1 Studio leads tailored programs to support researchers and graduate students in the early stages of their entrepreneurial journey. We help them develop their potential and, if they are ready, establish a scientific or innovative startup.
Ready to start your journey?
Check if you are eligible, verify the application deadline and complete the pre-application form.
