The Ontario Genomics Institute is now accepting applications for its Pre-Commercialization Business Development Fund (PBDF), a unique investment fund that provides early-stage funding to researchers as they move towards commercial applications of their genomics and proteomics research projects.
Through an investment of $100,000, the PBDF helps researchers, entrepreneurs or organizations in the life sciences move their technologies towards follow-on financing and commercialization. Last year, the PBDF invested in a test to help predict the outcomes of bone marrow transplants, a research effort to develop a set of genetic markers that can be used to produce pigs that are free of boar taint (an undesirable taste or odour that is sometimes present in pork products) and the development of novel cytogenic, single-copy DNA probes that can specifically detect individual chromosomal abnormalities.
This application deadline for the next round of investment is January 29, 2010.
Areas of consideration for the PBDF include, but are not restricted to:
The PBDF ranks opportunities in terms of the extent to which they meet the following criteria:
For more information, details of previous investments or to apply for the PBDF, visit the Ontario Genomics Institute’s website.