Levelling up: Labs4’s second TRL cohort moves 34 research ventures closer to market Labs4’s Technology Readiness Level-Up (TRL) program has completed its second cohort, with 34 researcher-entrepreneurs from across Canada advancing research-based ventures through four months of applied research, mentorship and commercialization training. The Winter 2026 cohort brought together participants from postsecondary institutions across the country, working on innovations in health diagnostics, AI, digital infrastructure, environmental protection, climate resilience, agriculture and marine operations. Together with the inaugural Fall 2025 cohort, 86 researcher-entrepreneurs have now completed the Technology Readiness Level-Up (TRL) program. Across its first two cohorts, TRL has drawn 230 applications from researcher-entrepreneurs looking to move academic innovations closer to market. The cohort shows how TRL responds to a long-standing challenge in Canada’s innovation pipeline: helping research results move beyond technical promise toward market readiness. Through applied research placements, mentorship and structured commercialization training, participants used the program to test assumptions, validate technologies, refine prototypes, connect with potential users and build clearer pathways from research to market. “Canada’s postsecondary research is world-class but the road to translating research into successful ventures is complex. TRL offers ecosystem supports creating a clear path for researcher-entrepreneurs to move their discoveries beyond the lab and grow our innovation economy” says Kristen Kindrachuk, Director of Labs4. “With participants across the country, the Winter 2026 TRL cohort is leveraging Canada’s innovation ecosystem to move their research ventures to market.” How TRL helps researcher-entrepreneurs move forward TRL is a four-month, full-time experience for researcher-entrepreneurs, both current students and recent grads, with ventures at a TRL 3 to TRL 8. Through the program, participants receive: Mitacs funding including a $10,000 stipend guided development sprints one-on-one mentorship hands-on applied research placements innovation-focused commercialization training national workshops and in-person support through one of Labs4’s 8 Regional Hubs TRL is delivered as part of Labs4’s national commercialization network, alongside the Market to Lab (MtL) program and programs offered through three Indigenous Entrepreneurship Hubs, which provide Indigenous-led, community-grounded entrepreneurship pathways shaped by local leadership, knowledge, relationships and self-determined priorities. Together, these pathways connect researcher-entrepreneurs and Indigenous entrepreneurs to applied research environments, technical expertise, mentorship and commercialization support across Canada. Labs4 is a national initiative connecting 40 postsecondary institutions and 24 Technology Access Centres, giving participants access to the expertise, equipment and relationships their ventures need to move forward. The Winter 2026 cohort arrived in January with prototypes, hypotheses and, in some cases, early-stage ideas. By the end of the program, participants had sharpened product direction, tested assumptions with potential users and partners, built stronger technical and business pathways and identified next steps toward market readiness. Health, biotech and well-being Projects in health, biotech and well-being focused on faster diagnostics, more accessible monitoring and practical tools for patients, clinicians, frontline workers and people whose needs are not always served by existing systems. Spotlight: A new way to screen for Parkinson’s at home Hooria Ashfaq, NAIT Centre for Advanced Medical Simulation Early signs of Parkinson’s can go undetected, in part because clinical testing can be stressful for older adults. Hooria Ashfaq is developing a drawing-based assessment that turns screening into a game. As older adults complete the activity, a convolutional neural network analyzes hand movements, tremor patterns and cognitive signals. Early testing has shown 95 per cent accuracy. Through TRL, Ashfaq moved the work from an academic prototype toward a commercial pathway. She completed market analysis, developed a business model and began laying the foundation for a secure web-based platform that can be tested with real users. “What excites me most is hearing people’s enthusiasm and the urgency for this solution. I want this to be a tool older adults actually enjoy using, and one that can make a real difference.” Spotlight: Contactless monitoring for the patients who need it most Amir Mansoori, University of Waterloo Wearable health monitors do not work for everyone. For older patients, people with cognitive challenges and anyone who finds continuous sensors uncomfortable, the act of monitoring itself can become a barrier to care. VitalWave Sensing is Amir Mansoori’s solution to overcoming this barrier: a contactless heart-rate monitoring system that uses radar, AI and signal processing, with no wearable and no physical contact required. A PhD researcher in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Waterloo, Mansoori entered TRL with strong technical depth and a venture that needed clearer product focus. Working with technical AI advisor Dr. Neda and OCI business mentor Jason, he refined the venture into a simpler, more focused product and sharpened his go-to-market strategy. Mansoori plans to continue refining the AI layer and join Labs4’s Market to Lab program for the next stage of development. “Through Labs4, I was able to reshape how I think about the venture by focusing on a simpler product with a clearer practical direction. I now have a more focused product version, a better development approach, and a much clearer sense of the next steps.” Spotlight: A faster way to splint, when seconds matter Allie Lynch, Memorial University of Newfoundland For frontline workers, soldiers and first responders, splinting an injury can be a race against time. The Lickety Splint is a one-piece, self-applied Class 1 medical device designed for fast use in high-pressure environments. Based on 45 timed trials Lynch ran during her capstone at the College of the North Atlantic, the device is 75 to 85 per cent faster to apply than leading competitors. Lynch graduated in 2024 with the Governor General’s Academic Medal and is now in Memorial University’s Bachelor of Technology bridge program. Through TRL, she used AI to pressure-test her assumptions, pivoted toward military and frontline workers as her beachhead market and connected with technical advisor Chris McGibbon, who is now guiding her through the ethics-review and human-testing pathway. After pitching at the Halifax cohort gathering, Lynch lined up followup conversations with future funders and potential partners. “I knew the Lickety Splint was fast. What I didn’t know was what comes next. Labs4 gave me a clear pathway forward, and a community of people I learned from at every step.” More projects in health, biotech and well-being Gabriel Guerra, University of SaskatchewanGuerra is developing Nexagon, a protective neck collar for youth and amateur hockey players. Through TRL, he moved the project from theoretical concept to working prototype, using CAD design, refining materials and wearability and connecting directly with parents of youth athletes. Early customer engagement is underway, with lab-environment trials next. AI, data and digital infrastructure Projects in AI, data and digital infrastructure focused on tools that make complex systems more consistent, secure, affordable and practical for the people who use them. Spotlight: Bringing structure and confidence to safety-critical inspections Anees Ul Hasnain Ahmad, University of Manitoba In safety-critical industries, two qualified inspectors can review the same scan of a pipeline, weld or pressure vessel and reach different conclusions. That variability can create rework, uncertainty and disagreement in situations where safety and compliance depend on confidence. Anees Ul Hasnain Ahmad, a mechanical engineering researcher at the University of Manitoba with a background in non-destructive testing, is building a decision-support software tool that helps teams interpret and report Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing data with greater consistency. Through TRL’s Prairies-Manitoba Hub, Ahmad moved beyond the technical build by structuring early conversations with inspectors and asset integrity teams in oil and gas, energy and heavy industry. Partner testing with real inspection data is up next. “Talking directly with inspectors has been the most valuable part. It’s helped me see what ‘good’ looks like in the field, not just in theory. TRL is pushing me to validate early so this can fit real workflows.” More projects in AI, data and digital infrastructure Chenchu Ram Biradavolu, Humber PolytechnicWith more than 15 years in banking and compliance technology, Biradavolu is building a next-generation anti-money-laundering compliance platform for small and mid-sized financial institutions that are often priced out of enterprise tools. Through TRL’s Labs4 Ontario Hub, he refined his value proposition, stress-tested it with practitioners and shaped the concept into a pilot-ready design with explainable AI risk scoring at its core. Pilot partners and a live proof of concept are next. Iqra Batool, Western UniversityBatool is a PhD candidate in computer science focused on AI-driven security for next-generation IoT networks. Her venture, Quantum Secure Wireless Hub, is a quantum-enhanced security platform addressing post-quantum vulnerabilities as 5G matures and 6G approaches. Through TRL, Batool completed customer discovery with telecom and IoT security professionals, filed a formal technology disclosure with Western Technology Services and built a business case alongside her research. Early-stage funding and pilot partnerships are next. Mousumi Dhar, Saskatchewan PolytechnicInspired by spending nearly an hour searching for parking during a downtown Saskatoon event, Dhar is developing ParkSmart, an AI-based parking analytics system that uses existing camera footage to estimate occupancy and surface insights for parking operators. Through TRL, she has been validating the problem through near-daily interviews with parking managers and operators, while building a web-based prototype with open data from the City of Saskatoon. She is also exploring collaboration with a Montreal-based parking entrepreneur she met through a fellow cohort member. Environment, climate and resilience Projects in environment, climate and resilience focused on reducing environmental risk, strengthening infrastructure and giving industry more practical tools to prevent problems before they become harder to manage. Spotlight: Stopping microplastic pollution at the source Siamak Seyfi, York University Synthetic clothing is a major source of microplastic pollution in waterways. Each laundry cycle can release small plastic fibres that move through wastewater systems and into aquatic ecosystems. Siamak Seyfi, a PhD candidate in civil engineering at York University’s Environmental Hydrodynamics Lab, concluded that end-of-pipe treatment was too late. His solution, FiberTrap, is a reusable, multi-stage washing machine filter designed to capture more than 90 per cent of laundry microplastics at the source. The filter installs on the drain line of any washing machine, requires no disposable cartridges and serves two potential markets: consumer aftermarket installation and original equipment manufacturer integration with appliance manufacturers. Through TRL, Seyfi mapped the industry, sharpened his value proposition and built a clearer path to scale. He has since launched fibertrap.org and is pursuing a dual-track strategy of direct sales and licensing toward OEM integration with Tier 2 to 4 appliance manufacturers. “The biggest turning point was realizing I needed to prove that my technology works before trying to sell it. Show the data first, then start the conversation. That shift came directly from the sprint process and mentor feedback, and it’s changed how I think about the whole project.” More projects in environment, climate and resilience Jérémie Lévesque, Université de SherbrookeLévesque, a mechanical engineering student at the Université de Sherbrooke, leads Seanetik, a robotic system that cleans ship hulls while capturing biological fouling instead of releasing it into the water. Hull fouling can drive up fuel use and emissions and contribute to the spread of invasive species, while current cleaning methods remain largely manual and difficult to apply in real port conditions. Through TRL, Lévesque sharpened his assumptions, pressure-tested the system against operational constraints and gathered early industry feedback to keep the work grounded in reality. Ethan Bowes, Saskatchewan PolytechnicBowes is developing a customized imaging system for crop disease detection that pairs with GIS mapping to give farmers and agronomists a more accurate picture of where disease is present in their fields. Through TRL, Bowes shifted from a research mindset to direct industry conversations, used AI tools to map the market and identified agronomists as his beachhead because of the trust they hold with farmers. Stronger ventures, clearer pathways The Winter 2026 cohort shows the breadth of research-based ventures emerging across Canada, and the value of giving researcher-entrepreneurs structured time, mentorship and applied research support to move them forward. Across inspection bays, hospital simulation centres, environmental hydrodynamics labs, port operations, parking lots, hockey rinks and farm fields, participants used TRL to test assumptions, refine technologies, connect with potential users and clarify their next steps toward market readiness. For Labs4, each cohort also strengthens the program delivery. What participants learn through TRL informs future programming, sharpens mentor and Hub supports and helps Labs4 continue building more effective pathways from research to market. “At Labs4 we’re focused on continued evaluation and improvement,” Kindrachuk says. “Each cohort helps us to better understand where researcher-entrepreneurs need support, where ventures are getting stuck and how Labs4 can keep strengthening the path from research to market.” For future applicants, the message is simple: if you are building from research and need a clearer path forward, TRL is designed for you. Apply for the next TRL cohort Applications for the next Technology Readiness Level-Up cohort will open soon! Researcher-entrepreneurs at any stage of postsecondary study, including postdocs and recent university and college graduates, with a research-based venture at any stage, are encouraged to visit labs4.ca/technology-readiness-level-up or contact TRL@rrc.ca for more information. Labs4 acknowledges the support from Lab to Market funding administered by NSERC in collaboration with SSHRC and CIHR. TRL is made possible thanks to support from Mitacs.
