The Conrad School of Entrepreneurship and Business is proud to announce the launch of the Academy of Research Commercialization (ARC), a new initiative designed to empower University of Waterloo doctoral students in turning deep-tech discoveries into investor-ready ventures.
The program, dedicated to PhD students doing frontier research in engineering, science, and related fields, offers curated workshops, mentorship, collaboration, and resources necessary for bridging the gap between lab discovery and real-world impact. Generously funded by the Esch Foundation, the ARC program also offers an opportunity for PhD students to earn pre-seed funding and requires neither additional tuition nor other fees.
How does ARC work?
The Academy of Research and Commercialization (ARC) program is structured into three progressive phases running over the course of January to June: Foundation, Formation, and Fruition. These are designed to guide participants from understanding commercialization fundamentals to launching and pitching a validated venture.
In each phase, ARC participants will enjoy robust seminars conducted by expert Conrad School faculty, work with MBET graduate students and engage with subject-matter experts from the Waterloo ecosystem.
The program culminates with all participants receiving a Completion Certificate and an opportunity to pitch their ideas to external investors and other partners, for which participants may be awarded up to $10,000 in funding to continue their commercialization plans.
Participants in ARC benefit from being part of one of Canada’s most founder-dense ecosystems. Key advantages include:
- Retaining ownership of intellectual property under Waterloo’s Policy 73, giving researchers full control over their inventions.
- Access to the Velocity launch platform, incubator support, mentorship, and funding-pathway coaching.
- Close proximity to labs, funders, industry partners, and commercialization experts.
With ARC, the Conrad School is reinforcing its commitment to empowering PhD students not just to publish research, but to see it create economic, social, and technological value. ARC stands as a new platform for entrepreneurial researchers to turn world-class science into world-changing impact