Springboard expands scope with new funding from Atlantic Innovation Fund

Canada's network for technology transfer and commercialization is expanding following its successful application for $8.5 million in funding over three years. Springboard Atlantic Inc secured the funding from the Atlantic Innovation Fund (AIF) which is managed by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). As part of its agreement with ACOA, Springboard is committing to refine and build commercialization capacity throughout the region and increase private sector interactions, increase licensing and industry revenues by 20% and boost university contributions to the network by 20-25%.

That brings Springboard's overall budget to $12.5 million and for the first time the region's four colleges will join the network with $1 million of the AIF award allocated to their activities. Hospitals affiliated with the region's universities have also become members.

"I'm delighted with the award," says Dr Carl Breckenridge, outgoing VP research at Dalhousie Univ and chair of Springboard's interim operating board. "Springboard has had a huge impact at Dal. We've been able to hire really good people and there's been expertise developed all across the network."

Part of Springboard's evolution includes a beefed-up central office in Halifax and a change in governance from an advisory committee to an operating board that more closely resembles a corporate structure. The operating board will include six VPs or deans of research, a college representative and four private sector representatives who are now being recruited.

The not-for-profit corporation is also seeking a new executive director after the contract of Sara Jane Snook lapsed last October and was not renewed. A search process is now underway.

Under the new funding agreement Springboard will offer several funding programs including a proof of concept fund, a patent and legal fund, a technology assessment process that allows smaller institutions to access the expertise resident in the region's larger universities and a smaller fund for purchasing outside expertise and information.

The bulk of the funding, however, will be used to expand the network's number of tech transfer and commercialization personnel.

"The big goal for Springboard is its impact on the economy and keeping companies in Canada," says David King, president and CEO of the Genesis Group, the technology transfer arm of Memorial Univ. "We do that by focusing on network technology portfolio management and identifying those things with market potential."

Springboard was launched in 2004 with $3.6 million in AIF funding and augmented a year later with $1.54 million from the Intellectual Property Mobilization (IPM) program — a joint initiative of the three granting councils (R$, October 3/05).

The viability of Springboard's latest application was enhanced considerably by its performance over the first three years of its existence. That performance was captured in a January/08 Performance Measures report, which is required under the original funding agreement between ACOA and the Association of Atlantic Universities.

The Report shows that, in the first three years, Springboard has contributed to:

* a tripling in the number of professionals engaged in tech transfer, commercialization and related activities;

* a 24% increase in combined research funding for the original 14 member institutions, from $225 million to $280 million;

* a doubling of the number of technologies disclosed, new patents filed and revenues received; and,

* $900,000 in proof-of-concept funding to scientists to further develop concepts with market potential.

With the new AIF funding, those indicators have been ratcheted up even higher.

"The AIF is happy with our output measures which is why we were refunded," says David Ford, intellectual property manager at the Univ of New Brunswick. "A lot of new people have already been hired but we must make sure we rationalize and not duplicate resources."

The AIF funding for Springboard marks the fourth time the Fund has made an award outside of its regular competitive process. ACOA officials says the Springboard application was handled separately due to the size and the nature of the project which involved 20 different partners across four provinces.

"It was evaluated outside a competitive round and was subject to the same due diligence process as all AIF proposals," says ACOA media relations officer Etienne Allard. "As with any other AIF project, Springboard was also reviewed and recommended for funding by the AIF advisory board."

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