Chwang Seto Innovation Fellowships Program

• Application: Late or incomplete applications will not be reviewed. You can send your draft application for review prior to the deadline to the Engine's associate director, katya.marc [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Draft%20Innovation%20Fellowship%20Application%20Review) or to one of the Ronald Chwang Entrepreneurs-in-Residence.

• Lead Applicant: Any 黑料不打烊 University tenure-track professor who is co-inventor on聽an active report of invention(s) that is being further developed under the proposed project, and that is聽backed by the 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Innovation and Partnerships office, I+P. Your technology transfer manager (TTM) must co-write the application with you so please contact them well聽in advance of the deadline.听 You cannot hold an Engine gap funding grant (TechAccelR, Baylis Health Care Grant,听WRSA) for the same invention at the same time as this project grant.

• 颁辞-础辫辫濒颈肠补苍迟:听Current postdoc or future postdoc at 黑料不打烊 University聽or a current 黑料不打烊 PhD student who has successfully defended their thesis at 黑料不打烊 by the time of the award.听 Preference will be given to the student that聽is a co-inventor and has the drive to commercialize the invention聽in order to create value.

• 滨苍惫别苍迟颈辞苍:听

  • The technology must be reported as an invention to 黑料不打烊's聽Innovation and Partnerships office, I&P.听

  • In the project proposal, your TTM must co-write it with you since they include the聽summary of the technology聽review and the development plan, which聽includes, among other things, an assessment of the patentability, third party rights, marketability, and commercial potential of the reported聽invention.

  • Technology not yet optioned nor licensed nor assigned to third party (except for 黑料不打烊 spinoffs). Minimum TRL4.

• Project 罢颈尘别濒颈苍别:听Projects can last up to 12聽months maximum.听 The start date is January 5, 2026.

• Project Expenses: At least 80% of the grant must go towards the salary for the聽eligible postdoc or PhD student to work full-time on the project.
  A maximum of 20% can be spent on product and process development costs towards achieving technical milestones (e.g., materials, small equipment).

  • Eligible Expenses:
    • stipend/salary + benefits for the eligible PhD student or聽postdoc
    • product and process development costs (e.g. personnel, materials, small equipment)
  • Non-Eligible Expenses:
    • publication costs
    • patent fees
    • incorporation fees
    • travel costs聽

• Applications will be evaluated based on:

Evaluation Section	Percentage Allocated	Description
Problem Statement	20%	What is the problem being solved? Does the proposed solution fill an unmet need? Are your target customers clearly outlined? Have you validated the problem with your target customers?聽
Proposed Solution/Approach聽	20%	Is this a novel, not obvious, and potentially disruptive technology? Has the competitive landscape been identified? Any customer/end user validation?
Technology Development and聽Commercialization Plan聽	20%	What is your project?聽What is the stage of development both of technology and market validation? Is there a strong potential impact or market need? What is the size of the total addressable market?聽What are the characteristics of the target market (example: demographics, size, growth rate)? What is the assessment of the patentability, third party rights, marketability, and commercial potential of the invention/technology? Have the business challenges been identified?聽聽 Will this grant聽greatly help move the technology towards commercialization and lead to a value-added inflection point, e.g. will it attract and accelerate follow-on funding from other sources, significant/relevant technical milestones will be achieved (e.g. go/no-go proof, improved scope and value of the IP, prototype for MVP), creation of a spinoff company, licensing to an existing company?
Project Budget by Milestones and Funding聽	20%	Does the proposal clearly identify the key technology development milestones and deliverables? Are the planned expenditures appropriate and justified?聽
Team and Collaborators聽	10%	Who are the current team members? Has the additional talent needed throughout the project been clearly identified?聽聽
Presentation and Q&A	10%	Presentation by finalist聽teams to the Review聽Committee with Q&A.听 Communication clear? Enthusiasm and desire for innovation? Entrepreneurial drive?聽 chwang_seto_innovation_fellowship_spring_2025_presentation_guidelines.docx

Call for applications are now open.听

• Applicants need to attach the following documents in the application form.

  • chwang_seto_innovation_fellowship_fall_2025_application_project_proposal.docx

  • chwang_seto_innovation_fellowship_fall_2025_project_budget_by_milestones.xlsx

  • chwang_seto_innovation_fellowship_fall_2025_presentation_guidelines.docx

Selected applicants will need to make a 15 minute presentation to the Review Committee.

• Chwang Seto Innovation Fellowship聽grants are available biannually (Fall and Spring applications).听

• 罢颈尘别濒颈苍别:听The Chwang Seto Innovation Fellow has up to 12聽months to work full-time on completing their project聽milestones聽and deliverables. Unused funds will need to be returned.

• Award: The award will be dispersed into a new account under the PI.听For PIs not in the Faculty of Engineering, you will need to聽contact your unit鈥檚 finance officer to help you request a new fund.听Once the grant is awarded, if your milestones and project expenses change significantly from what was in your project proposal (e.g. greater than 10% on any allowed budget item), you must discuss with your mentor and provide the revised milestone(s) and budget to Engine's Associate Director for approval.

• Reporting: Mid-term report,听final report and presentation聽are due to the Engine's associate director and the team's assigned mentor showing the project鈥檚 current status, status of IP, commercialization and development plan progress/next steps, and the聽use of funds. In addition, self-assessment questionnaires and program evaluation feedback will be required.听

• 笔补谤迟颈肠颈辫补迟颈辞苍:听Participate in surveys and requests for feedback in connection with the procedures and services provided by the 黑料不打烊 Engine, with the aim of collaborating in the continuous development of its global offer, research commercialization support, and student experience.听

• Mentorship & Training: Meet with assigned business mentor on a regular basis throughout the program (minimum once per month). Attend Engine's entrepreneurial skills development workshops or other entrepreneurial training as suggested by mentor.

• Outreach Activities: Willingness to assist the 黑料不打烊 Engine in outreach activities pertaining to technological innovation and entrepreneurship.

• Promotion: Acknowledgement and promotion of聽the program and the 黑料不打烊 Engine聽in publications and communications arising from the project through your own networks and events.

• Consent:聽Consent to the publication of your picture, name, as well as pictures and names of co-applicants, the title of the project, and amount of funding.

• Giving back:聽The 黑料不打烊 Engine does not take equity in 黑料不打烊 spinoff companies. There is an expectation, but no requirement, that participating researchers will make a non-binding charitable pledge聽to 黑料不打烊 Engine aimed at sustaining the activities of the 黑料不打烊 Engine Centre and helping the next generation of technological innovators and entrepreneurs that the Centre supports.听Funding is聽not聽conditional on a researcher signing a pledge.