3rd annual conference will be held April 9th, 2024 at the Delta Kingston Waterfront. For tickets click here.

This conference will bring together leading physicians, doctors, researchers, and scientists to share insights into the evolving landscape of healthcare. Expect discussions on groundbreaking research, emerging life sciences innovators, and the collaboration between academia, industry, and government in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Kingston and Syracuse share close proximity and economic ties, bolstered by world-class academic and research institutions and innovative ecosystems. The agenda covers topics such as the future of the healthcare workforce, technology in medicine, big data, and the next big frontier in health and life sciences, including a pitch competition.

Healthcare leaders, business owners, funders, supporters and community members came together in Memorial Hall for the Health Innovation Kingston (HI YGK) Showcase.

Participants had the chance to network and learn more about the work of the many companies involved with HI YGK, an economic development initiative that aims to grow and develop health-focused startups in Kingston.

A huge thanks to our HI YGK partners including Kingston Health Sciences Centre , Queen’s Partnerships & Innovation, St. Lawrence College, Centre for Advanced Computing, Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre, Invest Kingston and Ingenuity Labs, and to all those who attended the event and who have supported these projects.

The incredible work wouldn't be possible without the generous funding from FedDev Ontario. Thank you for helping Kingston lead the way in health innovation.

To see article and photos on facebook click here or on LinkedIn click here.

QICSI 2024 Applications are due on Nov. 27!  

Why apply to QICSI? It may be the best career move you make. Watch this 30 sec video to hear what alumni from the last 10 years have to say about the program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uta2IYomBAY 

QICSI is for individuals with a capacity for creativity, a tolerance for risk, and an interest in entrepreneurship or social innovation. QICSI is a 16-week full time in person program from May to August 2024 in Kingston that offers the valuable opportunity to start a business while being paid, and receiving seed funding, training from world-class entrepreneurs and business strategists, mentorship, and a space to work on your venture.  

Questions about the QICSI program? Come to our Ignition Café QICSI Info Session event on Nov. 16 from 5:00-8:00 pm in the Rose Event Commons in the Mitchell Hall Building! Register here via EventBrite. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to innovation.centre@queensu.ca  

Ready to apply? Click here! 

Click here to read Kingston Economic Development's Fall 2023 Newsletter Health Innovation 

Jim Leech Mastercard Foundation Fellowship on Entrepreneurship (JL MCF) Final Pitch Competition, which will be held from 9-11AM EST on Thursday, August 24th, 2023, via a livestream option and in person watch party locations in Canada, Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, Ghana, and South Africa!  

JL MCF 2023 is for African students and recent graduates who want to solve pressing problems and bring entrepreneurial ideas to life! In only 3 years, JLMCF has been tackling underemployment in Africa by training over 3800 students across 49 countries and 276 universities in entrepreneurial skills and awarding over $117,000 CAD to African founders and their ventures.

Please reserve your complimentary ticket here. Those who register on Eventbrite will receive the livestream (zoom webinar) link closer to the event date! 

Follow this link to a Kingston Economic Development Health Innovation Summer Newsletter 2023.

The Queen’s Innovation Centre Summer Initiative is in its 12th year, and regional start-ups are invited to compete for a chance to win seed funding to further their companies at the Dunin-Deshpande Summer Pitch Competition on August 17th, 2022. Founders of early-stage start-ups have the opportunity to pitch their venture to a panel of judges and compete against other entrepreneurs.

The Summer Pitch Competition is open to anyone based in Kingston and the surrounding region who has a business and has been funded less than $10,000. The selection of the start-ups who advance to compete at the pitch competition will be at the discretion of the Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre team. 

Interested in applying? Apply HERE by Tuesday, July 18th, by 9am (Eastern Time)!

As part of the Health Innovation Kingston Fed Dev supported project, Kingston Health Sciences Centre, Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre and St. Lawrence College Innovation Hub will host an Ignition Café workshop and networking event from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 20, 2023. 

• Hear from keynote speakers about the data and evidence required to have your technology considered for use in health-care setting,

• Learn the process for technology to be funded for a pilot, and

• Understand how to match your technology and innovations to real-world challenges in the health-care system.

Join us in person by kindly registered by April 6th, 2023 at the link following: Health Innovation: Positioning Canadian Health Innovations for Success Tickets, Thu, 20 Apr 2023 at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite. 

There is also a networking opportunity for local health innovation companies or teams to showcase their technologies, innovations and ventures before and after the presentation. There will be tables available for materials in an exhibit area. If you would like to apply for a display table at the event, please follow the link in the Eventbrite form above by April 2nd.

Are you interested in turning a health innovation into a startup? The Dunin-Deshpande Queen’s Innovation Centre invites you to apply to the Build2Scale Health Summer Program.

Buil2Scale is for individuals or teams interested in health innovation with a capacity for creativity, a tolerance for risk, and an interest in entrepreneurship or social innovation. Build2Scale helps you to grow your entrepreneurial mindset and skillset while joining a network of diverse, creative, and ambitious peers. If you or your team are looking to create distinctive value or respond to an unmet need in the health or patient care sectors, this program is for you!

Receive training from world-class entrepreneurs and business strategists, mentorship, space to work on your venture, a $10,000 stipend (if working full-time in-person), up to $4,000 seed funding, and the opportunity to compete for larger seed funding prizes in the final pitch competition!

You can participate full-time in person and receive the personal stipend (maximum 3 stipends available per team) or participate part-time virtually with no stipend.

In our program last year, we had a team of Computing students partner with Dr. Fabio Ynoe de Moraes, Queen’s Assistant Professor in Oncology and Full Time Attending Staff Medical at KGH and Hotel Dieu. See a quote about his experience below:

“The Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre provides a unique and unparalleled educational experience for students and faculty, offering not only world-class knowledge but also essential skills in entrepreneurship and innovation. This creates an environment where knowledge is transformed into practical, adaptable solutions that make a positive impact on society.”

 If you have any questions, please reach out to innovation.centre@queensu.ca

Ready to apply? Click here!

Follow this link to Queen's Partnerships and Innovation's article on LenSense.

Follow this link to Queen's Partnership and Innovation article on Dr. Karen Yeates. 

Please follow the link to learn more about Kingston's first legal psychedelic community health facility and what it promises for mental healthcare professionals and patients. 

Visit compelling health research stories from Dr. Katie Goldie and Dr. David Lillicrap. Click here to visit Queen's Health Science's Youtube channel.

Fall/Winter 2022

Ontario is investing to reduce surgical wait times. To learn more about Kingston's Novari Health, follow Kingston Whig article here.

Are you an entrepreneur or have an interest in social innovation? Learn more about the Queen's Innovation Centre Summer Insitute program by listening and speaking to 4 QICSI alumni during DDQIC’s last Ignition Café of the year on Nov. 24 from 5-8 pm in the Rose Event Commons in the Mitchell Hall Building! Register here via Eventbrite

QICSI Alumni joining the chat include:

• Conor Ross, Co-founder & COO of Iris Technologies, now Product Owner at Georgian CoLab – QICSI 2015
• Matt Gubasta, Co-founder and President of RockMass Technologies – QICSI 2016
• Erin Huitema, Co-founder of Alucia, an accessible lingerie brand – QICSI 2019
• Anh Tran-Ly, Co-founder of CO2L Tech, a research-based clean-tech venture  - QICSI 2022

Why apply to QICSI? It may be the best career move you make. Watch this 30 sec video to hear what alumni from the last 10 years have to say about the program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uta2IYomBAY 

QICSI is for individuals with a capacity for creativity, a tolerance for risk, and an interest in entrepreneurship or social innovation. QICSI is a 16-week full time in person program from May to August 2023 in Kingston that offers the valuable opportunity to start a business while being paid, receiving seed funding, training from world-class entrepreneurs and business strategists, mentorship, and a space to work on your venture.  

If you have any questions, please reach out to innovation.centre@queensu.ca  

Ready to apply? Click here! 

Kingston has been ranked among the top 20 in Canada's Best Locations in which to invest by Site Selection Magazine.

Kingston was recognized as one of the top locations for investment during the timeframe from April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, which included investments: Frulact's expansion, Coca-Cola's new facility and the announcement of Li-Cycle's Centre of Excellence. Read the full Whig Standard article here.

Every patient is unique. What if every treatment was too? Learn about the tremendous potential benefits of precision medicine in Dr. @DavidMaslove's #ResearchTalks "Critical Care, Precisely Delivered" https://youtu.be/YtvNHxheDx0 

DDQIC's last Ignition Café  is happening Thursday, Nov. 24th from 5-8pm in the Mitchell Hall Event Commons (69 Union Street, Kingston)! Ignition Café is Kingston’s go-to monthly meet-up for anyone looking to meet like-minded change-makers, share ideas, collaborate and foster meaningful connections. At November's Ignition Café, we will have a QICSI talk from Alumni followed by a networking session with appetizers and a cash bar.  Register here: Eventbrite

Three Queen's graduates are behind Kingston’s Spectra Plasmonics. Their portable drug-testing technology can be used by medical clinics and safe-injection sites to test street drugs. To learn more about their growth and development this year follow this link to Queen's Partnership and Innovations.