INDUSTRY PARTNERSHIPS

WITH U OF T ENGINEERING

LEADING INNOVATION
STARTS HERE

The world is always changing. The global marketplace is evolving at an exponential pace.

How can you outpace the competition, embrace disruption and lead in sustainability? Discover the power of partnering with the number one engineering school in Canada.

Our industry partners have a front row seat to pioneering engineering innovation. Together we are solving industry's most complex challenges and advancing technologies to maximize impact in business, our economy and society.

Access a research community of trailblazers driven by ingenuity, excellence and creativity, recruit the global technology leaders of tomorrow, and leverage our leading edge research infrastructure.

Together we can bring your vision to life.

REASONS TO PARTNER

INNOVATION CLUSTERS

WAYS TO COLLABORATE

PARTNERSHIPS IN ACTION

CONTACT

Reasons to Partner with U of T Engineering

injected into the Canadian  economy per year as a result  of U of T’s research impact

Recruit our top talent

Exceptional students from around the world choose U of T Engineering to help them become leaders in their fields. They study with world-renowned professors and gain invaluable experience working directly with industry through work-experience programs, mentorships and project-based learning — resulting in professionals poised to address the diverse challenges facing your company.

Tap into our breadth of expertise

Partnership with U of T Engineering brings unparalleled access to a research community defined by excellence, ingenuity and creative trailblazing. This includes leveraging more than 25 leading-edge engineering research hubs that represent our six Innovation Clusters: Advanced Manufacturing, Data Analytics & Artificial Intelligence, Human Health, Robotics, Sustainability and Water. When you collaborate with us, you also tap into a rich ecosystem of more than 10,000 research, teaching and clinical faculty members across the entire University.

engineering Chairholders and Professorships, including Canada Research Chairs and Industrial Research Chairs

tech companies in the Greater Toronto Area

Benefit from our prime location

With companies like Uber, Samsung and Google expanding their operations in Toronto, it’s no wonder the city ranks in the top 10 globally for innovation and opportunity. We leverage our prime location, collaborating with our neighbours: world-class hospitals and major multinational corporations headquartered here. Being located in the nation’s financial capital and a North American hub for innovation is the perfect place for Canada’s #1 engineering school.

Maximize your ROI

Did you know that every dollar you invest toward the direct cost of research at U of T Engineering can be multiplied up to six-fold? Your investment goes further when you partner with us. We leverage financial support from industry with federal, provincial and matching programs to enable millions of dollars in industry-partnered research every year. The bottom line on being our partner: you achieve the greatest possible scope, impact and ROI on joint projects.

engineering-focused  industry partners worldwide

inventions and more than 300 patents created in the last 3 years

Clear and balanced intellectual property (IP) terms

U of T has a simple and balanced approach to IP. We are committed to structuring partnership agreements that meet your objectives, accelerate commercialization, provide experiential learning opportunities to our students, and support the publication rights of our researchers. According to Reuters, U of T is Canada’s most innovative university. In the last three years, our researchers created over 1,000 inventions and filed more than 300 patents. For more on U of T partnerships, visit uoft.me/industrypartners

Save time and money: use our research infrastructure

Why put resources toward research infrastructure — equipment and facilities — when you can leverage ours? U of T Engineering is home to some of the most advanced laboratories in the world, facilitating leading-edge research in diverse areas. As a partner, you’ll gain access to our publicly funded facilities and technical personnel, resulting in significant savings for your company. In the last five years, we have invested nearly $60 million in engineering research infrastructure on campus.

in engineering research infrastructure

OUR INNOVATION CLUSTERS

U of T Engineering has the breadth and depth of research excellence as well as the capacity to effect global change across these key domains.

OUR EXPERTS

Find the U of T Engineering researchers with the expertise to solve your most complex challenges

Find an expert on U of T's Discover Research directory

The Propulsion and Energy Conversion Laboratories study the complex physical and chemical processes that take place inside combustion engines used in jet aircraft or large power plants. Adapting such engines to produce fewer emissions and use less fuel — or even to use biofuels — can compromise the stability of their operation. The research group is working toward making low-emission engines safe enough to replace current models. This lab is one of several housed within the U of T Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS), an advanced research facility located in north Toronto.

Our partnerships with industry, government and other stakeholders enable U of T Engineering researchers across our Innovation Clusters to develop innovative technology-based solutions that address the needs of an evolving global marketplace. As an industry partner, our Innovation Clusters enable you to approach your most pressing challenges in a dynamic and driven environment, allowing your company to be nimble in a complex business landscape.

Ways to Collaborate

GOAL-DRIVEN

Whether you aim to address a specific engineering challenge faced within your company, build brand awareness or create a pipeline of exceptional talent, we can help you achieve your goal. Meet your company’s targeted objectives by partnering on a specific initiative. For example:

Sponsor a collaborative research project to address a defined industry challenge.
Fuel future talent by supporting internship opportunities and scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students.
Contribute your company’s equipment, devices and technical instruments to our extensive research facilities to build awareness of your brand.

STRATEGIC

Your company is committed to pushing the leading edge of innovation to advance your mid- to long-term R&D priorities — and a strategic partnership with U of T Engineering can get you there. This level of partnership typically involves providing seed funding for a new research initiative in conjunction with support to grow our research capacity (e.g., through an Industrial Research Chair) in an area of strategic priority for your corporation. Strategic partnerships also address goal-driven interests via collaborative research projects.

COMPREHENSIVE

Through a coordinated integration of research, training and infrastructure support, a comprehensive partnership is designed to advance your company’s innovation agenda. This level of partnership offers the highest ROI for a company looking to achieve multiple objectives and often combines a new capital investment to enable capacity building and collaborative research funding. Comprehensive partners also play an important role on our advisory boards and in championing new government initiatives.

Partnerships in Action

Goal-driven Partner: McEwen Mining

In 2017, Toronto-based mining company McEwen Mining partnered with U of T Engineering to apply advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology to their operations. Like many mining companies, McEwen Mining invests heavily in equipment and personnel to execute tasks that can be dangerous and time consuming, from mapping and production monitoring to mineral exploration and tracking stockpiles. Working with Professor Angela Schoellig from the U of T Institute for Aerospace Studies and Professor Kamran Esmaeili in the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering, McEwen Mining is developing UAV systems for real-time mining data acquisition and decision-making. Drones fitted with advanced sensors can provide real-time aerial footage and 3D maps of sites that would be difficult to explore by traditional methods, saving the company both time and money.

“Our UAV project with U of T has provided us access to world-class aerospace and mining expertise. We have moved quickly from lab-scale experiments to field trials at our mine in Mexico. The results have already led to several technical papers and conference presentations. We hope that these findings will lead to a commercial arrangement in the near future.”
NATHAN STUBINA
Managing Director – Innovation, McEwen Mining

Strategic Partnership: Hatch Ltd.

For decades, Hatch Ltd. — a leading global engineering, technology and project-delivery firm — and U of T Engineering have worked together in a symbiotic relationship that encompasses research, education and mentorship. This academic industry collaboration has included a range of initiatives, from developing wind energy technologies and advancing fuel cells to exploring alternatives for energy production. Most recently, Hatch has partnered with Professor Gisele Azimi — an expert in the fields of electrochemistry, thermodynamics and advanced materials design — on a project that uses a novel technique to extract and recycle lithium from batteries. Beyond research partnership, Hatch attracts top engineering talent by hiring through the Professional Experience Year Co-op Program and offering several scholarships to exceptional engineering students.

“One of the key things Hatch is known for is bridging the gap between research and commercial operations. Having a close linkage with U of T has been an important part of that journey."

JIM SARVINIS
Global Director, Nuclear, Hatch

Comprehensive Partnership: Fujitsu Labs Limited

In spring 2018, multinational information and communication technology company Fujitsu Labs Ltd. launched the Fujitsu Co-Creation Research Laboratory at the University of Toronto — the company’s first Canadian R&D centre. The new research hub will accelerate collaborative work in such fields as machine learning, quantum computing, smart cities, advanced health care and financial technology. Fujitsu Labs is one of the latest tech multinationals to move into downtown Toronto, drawn by the city’s burgeoning global reputation in artificial intelligence and data analytics — growth areas driven by the research conducted at U of T and its affiliated hospitals. To date, this partnership has led to 10 patents, the publication of more than 30 joint research papers and over $7.5 million in direct funding and in-kind contributions for research.

“Fujitsu’s continued collaboration with this world-leading institution further strengthens and catalyzes our ability to produce research innovations. Establishing the Fujitsu Co-Creation Research Laboratory at the University of Toronto is the next step in advancing this flourishing relationship.”
Tatsuya Tanaka
President, Fujitsu Laboratories