Southern Ontario Pharmaceutical and Health Innovation Ecosystem

Access funding and partners to scale your business

With the SOPHIE program, you receive commercialization funding and access to Hamilton’s unique life science capabilities and research expertise to bring your innovation to market and scale your business. We’ve done the heavy lifting and built a coalition of partners so you can leverage Hamilton’s leading-edge clinical and research infrastructure – supporting you at a critical phase of your commercialization journey.

What is SOPHIE?

SOPHIE is a program funded through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), in partnership with Innovation Factory and the Synapse Consortium. Ontario-based life science innovators launch collaborative projects while leveraging the facilities, expertise and infrastructure of world-class academic and clinical institutions in Hamilton, including McMaster University, Mohawk College, Hamilton Health Sciences and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Successful applicants can access up to $100,000 in non-dilutive grant funding to support their commercialization project with an academic or clinical partner.

SOPHIE enables life science innovators to access research expertise and infrastructure

Stats & Figures

SOPHIE by the numbers

Commercialization projects launched
1
Total project investments in commercialization
$ 1 M
Jobs created & supported
1
Funds raised by companies
+$ 1 M

SOPHIE success stories

Discover how these life science innovators successfully leveraged the SOPHIE program to bring their ideas to commercial reality through this unique funding and collaboration opportunity.

Are you ready?

Apply now

We encourage you to verify your eligibility and start your application journey. We welcome submissions continuously, as applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Please note that the review process for project grants may take longer than usual.

Need more information?

Contact us

If you have any questions regarding SOPHIE, please get in touch with us through our Contact form.

Program partners

McMaster University
Hamilton Health Sciences
The Research Institute of St. Joe’s Hamilton
Mohawk College
Innovation Factory
Synapse Consortium