McGill.CA / Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives / Funding Opportunities

NeuroBoost: Neuro Innovations  

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NeuroSphere is the McGill platform dedicated to innovation and partnership in neuroscience research, funded through  Healthy Brains, Healthy Lives (HBHL). As an entrepreneurial one-stop shop for principal investigators and trainees, NeuroSphere provides the McGill neuroscience community with: 

  • Direct support: Funding, mentoring and expertise related to the maturation and commercialization of innovations; 

  • Opportunities to drive innovation: Grants and awards for trainees, training and resources focused on innovation and entrepreneurship; 

  • Opportunities to connect: Networking events and connections with partners and investors. 

While the NeuroSphere Neuro Commercialization Grants and NeuroPartnerships Program play an important role in driving forward projects with high potential for commercialization, certain roadblocks and/or challenges can occur that warrant expert support. 

The NeuroBoost grant helps address specific needs of these projects by covering consulting or sub-contracting fees up to $20,000 per recipient.  

These fees could include/cover:  

  • Intellectual property strategy (including patentability assessment & freedom to operate);  

  • Business model/case assessments/developing financial models and pricing strategy;  

  • Health economic modeling;  

  • Outsourcing preclinical/R&D work (in vitro, in vivo, analytical work) to contract research organizations; 

  • Regulatory strategy;  

  • A startup’s contribution to unlock the Bon d’Incubation opportunity (providing support to startups in ways similar to those listed above & subsidized up to 75%).  

Funds available 

Up to $20,000 of consulting or sub-contracting fees per grant.  

Total envelope size: $60,000.

Timeline 

This is a two-step competition 

  1. Expression of needs: from March 12th , 2025 to April 2nd, 2025;

  1. Pitch to NeuroSphere: selected researchers will be invited to present their project to a selection committee formed by the Associate Director of Business Development HBHL, NeuroSphere’s Entrepreneur in Residence, and one member from the HBHL Innovation Committee (i.e. the Director of McGill’s Office of I&P), between April 7th, 2025 and April 11th, 2025. 

Final result: Week of April 14th, 2025.  

Application process 

Prerequisite:  

  • The project must have previously received funding from NeuroSphere and successfully achieved outlined objectives for the grant received;  

  1. Applications will be reviewed internally for eligibility, relevance and potential for impact; 

  1. Selected researchers will be invited to meet with the NeuroSphere team to further explain how this funding would significantly help with the maturation or commercialization of their innovation.

Submission 

Follow the instructions outlined before submitting  your application and filling the  Application form. 
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