Throwing Down The Gauntlet

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Peter Bruijns has big hopes for Canadian science. As president of the Stiller Centre for Technology Commercialization (London, ON), Bruijns is looking to increase the number of inventions that are brought to market, and ultimately change the way commercialization is handled not only in Ontario, but in Canada as well.

The Stiller Centre recently announced its inaugural Stiller Centre Prize, a new kind of prize that will provide university graduates with innovative ideas everything they need to commercialize their work: funding, lab space, equipment, mentorship and legal services.

"We think that this will trigger a cultural shift to entrepreneurship in our region that will go from three to four companies a year (as it is) today, to thirteen or fourteen companies a year within three to four years from now," says Bruijns.

The prize came about as a result of a brainstorming session between Bruijns and Lee Smithson, the centre's shared services co-ordinator, that focused on how to increase the technology transfer pipeline in London.

"One idea that we came up with was why not bring the ideas here to London," Bruijns says. “Why not search the world, find the smartest young people with a cool idea and bring them here and give them everything they need to start a company."

Thanks to a surplus of $87,000 in London's Regional Innovation Network grant, the award is off and running. The University of Western Ontario (London, ON) has also pledged $150,000 over three years, and in-kind services ranging from equipment, website development and legal expertise now total $110,000 a year.

On top of equipment and consumables, each winner will receive $20,000 in cash. Bruijns says that eventually, the goal is to select three to five recipients a year from around the world in any field of science. Teams of up to three people can apply, and can include anyone — a professor, a business student, a mentor — but must be led by a recent graduate. And the Stiller Centre Prize isn't just looking for anyone. Bruijns says they want a particular kind of researcher.

"We're looking for incredible science ideas, but with an equal weighing, we're looking for the right personality," he says. The centre is running a unique series of posters in universities, as well as a video clip that will air on YouTube™, in an effort to attract the "right" applicants. Bruijns thinks the youth-oriented, original advertising strategy will reflect the overall approach the award is taking.

"The centric, scientist/researcher who doesn't like commercialization, or the student who wants to focus on research will not consider this," Bruijns explains. "We want to get out of the box, we don't want this to be normal."

For Bruijns, fostering young talent in this way is absolutely necessary to ensure Canada's growth, and this type of program that aims to change the system is how it will get done.

"We had to set up a parallel entrepreneurial stream (to the universities) that can almost be used as a template for commercialization reform, at least in London, and hopefully, we can influence people a little farther," he says.

"Canada's commercialization processes are inadequate, and we want to do our small part to change that." The Stiller Centre Prize is accepting applications until December 15, and the final selection will be made in February 2007.

To learn more about the prize, visit www.bigbangidea.com