How to Apply

Applying to the MIF is an easy process. However, you must make sure to read the the following material carefully before making an application to the MIF. In order to be eligible, applicants must meet the following criteria and agree to the following points:

1. You must be a McGill professor, graduate student, or postdoctoral researcher (all Faculties and McGill associated research hospitals are welcome) or an officer of a company that has a license agreement with McGill University (for Deploy applications)
2. Applicants to the Discover or Develop Stage must have an approved Report of Invention from the Office of Innovation + Partnerships (you will be required to submit proof of this approval).
3. Applicants to the Deploy Stage must have incorporated their company within the last 5 years.
4. If you are only interested in developing a technology to license to another company (i.e. you do not wish to start your own company), you may still apply.
5. You may only submit ONE application per funding stage.
6. Applicants who wish to be considered for the AMR supplemental award or the Cleantech supplemental must indicate so in their online application form. You may only apply for ONE of these prizes, not both.
7. If selected, you commit to advancing the project towards commercialization and implementation. You must also commit to participating in the MIF Support Program for 12 months.
8. The MIF provides financial and business support to McGill researchers who plan to commercialize their invention. The support will be tailored to your business needs: IP, business plan, target market, production process, path to commercialization, etc. The application process is therefore focused on your business project, (your progress to date, your vision for your company, your plan, etc.), rather than on the science of the innovation.
9. The call for applications will open on Friday, September 25th, 2026
10. The application deadline is Wednesday, November 18th, 2025 at 12 noon.
11. All applicants must take a pitch training course. Full instructions and dates will be provided after submitting your application.

Step 1: Online Application

All applicants will need to submit an application package. The application package contains the following elements:

1. Online form: a) Applicant information, b) Project information
2. Mandatory attachments: a) Presentation, b) Video
3. Optional attachments
4. Terms and conditions

Mandatory Attachments

Each applicant will need to upload:

• Presentation describing the project, team, business model canvas, commercialization plan, and budget for use of the MIF funds. Concerning the budget, be specific as to how you plan to use the funding. The budget should demonstrate that the funding will play a critical role in the advancement of the project. Full instructions on what to include in your presentation can be found here.
• Short video, elevator pitch style, to present the team and your invention (max 2 min.). Advice on how to prepare your video can be consulted on this page.

Optional Attachments

Each applicant may upload additional supporting documents:

• Presentation deck describing the research in more detail
• Demonstration video of the invention (if applicable)
• Letter of support from potential licensees, interested clients or external investors.

Terms and Conditions

Before submitting your application be sure to review the terms and conditions provided at the end of the online form. The terms and conditions include requirements for the applicants, as well as for the selected recipients.

Step 2: Selection Process

Triage 

The MIF team will review the applications to ensure that they meet the eligibility criteria. Eligible applications will be invited to present their project in front of a selection committee, in a pitch format for review. The MIF may deem certain applications ineligible, and may also reassign applications to different award stages than originally applied for.

Selection Committees

From December 7th to 9th, confirmed applicants will pitch their project to the selection committee. Each Stage will pitch on a specific day: Discover Stage, December 7th (in person); Develop Stage, December 8th (in person); Deploy Stage, December 9th (virtual). The Selection Committee will deliberate, and successful recipients will be informed before the holiday break.The Selection Committees are composed of McGill Alumni with expertise in different aspects of business and entrepreneurship.

AMR and Cleantech Selection committees

Teams that have been selected to receive funding, and who have indicated they are in the AMR or the Cleantech category will be invited to present a second time to a Selection Committee dedicated to evaluating applications to this category; these pitches will be held the week of December 14. You are encouraged to prepare a presentation specific to this committee, and you must be prepared to clearly and explicitly justify the additional funds awarded by the AMR or Cleantech Selection Committee.

If you have any questions regarding the application process for the MIF, we invite you to contact your TTM, or send us an mif [at] mcgill.ca (subject: Question%20about%20how%20to%20apply%20to%20the%20MIF) (e-mail.) 

Good Luck!