October 20, 2026 (Ottawa, ON) — Talent Innovation Canada (TICAN) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to help Canadian companies tackle technology and innovation challenges by embedding research expertise and highly qualified talent within companies to accelerate innovation and commercialization.
The TICAN–NSERC Technology Development Collaboration brings together two complementary approaches to strengthening Canada’s innovation ecosystem: TICAN’s ability to work with companies to define technology challenges, connect them with the right research talent across Canada, and de-risk the development of advanced technologies, alongside NSERC’s support for Canada’s world-class research and technology development ecosystems. By leveraging NSERC’s established relationships across Canada’s universities and TICAN’s network of companies seeking to address technology challenges, the collaboration will create new pathways for research expertise to be applied to real-world industry needs, helping advance the development and commercialization of technologies while creating opportunities for highly skilled research talent to pursue careers in industry.
Canada’s ability to develop and commercialize technologies depends not only on investment and research infrastructure, but also on access to the specialized expertise needed to move ideas from research and development toward application. This collaboration will create meaningful opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers to apply their expertise to real-world industry challenges, while helping Canadian companies access the talent needed to advance technology development.
“Canada has ambitious companies and world-class researchers, but we need stronger connections between research talent and the technologies we are working to develop here at home,” said Arvind Gupta, CEO of TICAN. “This collaboration with NSERC is an important step toward building those connections. By bringing together TICAN’s industry-focused talent model and NSERC’s expertise and network across Canada’s research ecosystem, we can help more Canadian companies access the people and expertise they need to develop technologies, innovate and grow.”
“Canada’s vibrant research community is one of its greatest strengths and a key driver of innovation. Through this collaboration with TICAN, we will create new opportunities for research talent to apply their expertise to technology development while gaining valuable industry experience,” said Professor Alejandro Adem, FRSC, President of NSERC. “By fostering closer ties between academia and industry, we can accelerate the translation of research into practical applications, support economic growth and strengthen Canada’s innovation capacity.”
The impact of connecting industry challenges with highly skilled research talent can already be seen through TICAN-supported companies such as Genuine Taste, a Canadian biotechnology company developing cultivated fat for the alternative protein industry. As geopolitical uncertainty and environmental pressures highlight the importance of resilient food systems, innovations that strengthen Canada’s domestic capacity to develop alternative protein ingredients can contribute to greater food security and sovereignty. As Genuine Taste advances its technology in the laboratory, access to specialized scientific expertise is essential to moving its research forward. Through TICAN’s partnership with the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, the company has welcomed highly trained research talent such as Pooya Mamaghani, who supports its laboratory work while pursuing postdoctoral research in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics. This example illustrates how connecting companies with the right expertise can help advance promising technologies toward commercialization while supporting Canada’s broader innovation and economic priorities.
With this new collaboration, TICAN and NSERC aim to expand these opportunities and strengthen Canada’s capacity to develop and scale advanced technologies domestically. By connecting Canadian companies with the specialized talent they need to innovate, this partnership can help retain highly skilled talent, drive long-term productivity and economic growth, and reinforce Canada’s economic sovereignty and competitiveness in an increasingly technology-driven global economy.
About TICAN
Talent Innovation Canada (TICAN) is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to addressing strategic R&D challenges by connecting industry with research talent to strengthen Canada’s innovation ecosystem. Through industry-driven academic research partnerships, TICAN helps companies accelerate advanced technology development, commercialize intellectual property, and build long-term R&D capacity. At the same time, it develops a pipeline of highly skilled talent that strengthens Canada’s global competitiveness.
About NSERC
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada funds visionaries, explorers and innovators who are searching for the scientific and technical breakthroughs that will benefit our country. We are Canada’s largest supporter of discovery and innovation. We work with universities, colleges, businesses and not-for-profits to remove barriers, develop opportunities and attract new expertise to make Canada’s research community thrive. We give Canadian scientists and engineers the means to go further because we believe in research without borders and beyond frontiers.
Media contacts
Arevig Afarian
Director of Communications at TICAN
aafarian@ticanada.ca
www.talentinnovationcanada.ca
