McGill University’s jumpstart to innovation
Building an ecosystem to support innovators
Science is pursued out of passion and curiosity. Innumerable complex problems are continually asked and solved as we increase our understanding of the world. The first problem I was interested in solving spotlighted the molecular mechanism of invasion in stage 4 brain cancer and inspired me to pursue a Master’s in neuroscience at McGill.
I was enthusiastic to tackle such a complicated problem and hoped my results could create promising therapeutic solutions for patients. But as with all basic research, assessing data, analyzing results, and discovering meaningful solutions takes a long time. I often found myself reading about cutting edge medical devices and digital health tools in between experiments and thinking about how I could apply my research in an innovative way.
This lead to my second problem: What is Innovation?
My focus on my scientific question left little time for me to research “innovation” and how I could even begin to learn about it. Luckily, around this time I was introduced to the McGill Innovation Collective, directed by Associate VP Angelique Mannella. This was my first contact point with innovation — in a brief meeting with Angelique she spoke with me about her mandate to build the innovation ecosystem at McGill through new initiatives and strategic partnerships. Through the Healthy Brains for Healthy Lives initiative, I participated in a pilot program for Innovation Associates. This gave me the opportunity to learn how to create an innovation ecosystem within the context of neuroscience at McGill. Here, I learned everything from technology transfer to forming partnerships to developing university-wide programs to encourage researchers to commercialize their inventions. I also had the opportunity to directly engage with the start-up and innovation community by representing McGill at local conferences and events, such as C2 and Startup Fest.
In addition, the Innovation Associates program included an internship at a local start-up, which offered a unique hands-on experience to get immersed in innovation and entrepreneurship. I recently started my placement with Moonshot Health, an early stage digital biomarker and electronic data capture company looking to develop solutions in neurology, cardiology, and respirology. As the Scientific Project Lead at Moonshot Health, I am responsible for evaluating various medical disorders and determining which ones the company should focus developing solutions for. In addition, I work closely with the Moonshot Health co-founders, which has given me the chance to learn how a company is created and operated at a very early stage.
The combination of working with the McGill Innovation Collective and Moonshot Health is extremely beneficial for science students interested in innovation to gain hands-on experience and industry knowledge. When speaking with fellow graduate students in neuroscience, many have expressed their interest in moving out of academia and creating their own life science companies but not having the tools or experience to do so. This highlights the need for programs like the Innovation Associates initiative.
With academic positions becoming more and more competitive, students are searching for alternative career options.
As Montreal’s innovation ecosystem flourishes, science students are becoming increasing interested in innovation and entrepreneurship.
This is an ideal opportunity for McGill to play a leadership role in preparing scientists with the skills they need to successfully commercialize their research and building an innovation ecosystem focused on neuroscience. If you want to join the Innovation Collective and help develop the ecosystem, visit innovation.mcgill.ca today!
