U of T's Acceleration Consortium is setting up the Materials Data Foundry with National University of Singapore under the Singaporean Government's AI for Science program to speed up scientific discovery and facilitate industrial adoption.
U of T President Melanie Woodin, and U of T Computer Science Professor and Waabi CEO Raquel Urtasun in conversation during the Betakit Most Ambitious town hall (photo by Johnny Guatto).
In partnership with Sony Biotechnology, the U of T-based Canadian Hub for Health Intelligence and Innovation in Infectious Diseases (HI³) hosted the first Toronto Cell Therapy Symposium at the MaRS Discovery District on June 4th to learn about advances and assets, as well as gaps in the Canadian cell therapy domain.
BioZone, U of T's hub for applied industrial and environmental biotechnology research, hosted its annual symposium on May 20th. Over 115 representatives from industry, government, and academia attended to learn about scientific advances across the theme of “waste to value through biotechnology.”
Assistant Vice-President, Innovations, Partnerships, and Entrepreneurship Jim Banting
As a scientist-entrepreneur, Dr. Jim Banting has spent much of his career thinking about how promising scientific discoveries can scale to achieve real-world impact. Jim is keen to continue this work upon his recent appointment as U of T's Assistant Vice-President, Innovations, Partnerships, and Entrepreneurship.
After graduating with a PhD in Pharmacology from Queen’s University, it didn’t take long for Jim to bring his scientific expertise beyond the lab. Shortly after completing his PhD, he stepped into a commercialization role and co-founded Vaxis Therapeutics in 1997 - a venture that was acquired just four years later by a California-based specialty pharmaceutical company. That early entrepreneurial experience set the tone for a career focused on building and scaling innovation in the life sciences sector.
Over the next phase of his career, Jim worked in business development, licensing, co-development partnerships, strategic alliances, and mergers & acquisitions across the Canadian and U.S. life sciences sector. His work spanned monoclonal antibodies, small-molecule therapeutics, medical devices, regulatory, bio-manufacturing, commercial forecasting, and technology platforms, giving him a broad perspective on how scientific innovations move from discovery through development, and commercialization.
Much of Jim’s career has focused on building partnerships, managing alliances, licensing technologies and other transactions in Canada and internationally. One partnership that shaped his thinking was an early academic licensing deal where a promising university discovery stalled—not for lack of scientific merit, but because neither side spoke the other’s language. The researchers undervalued the commercial milestones that mattered to investors, while the company underestimated how much the academic team’s continued involvement would de-risk the asset. Bridging that gap would serve as the keystone to the next phase of Jim's career.
The most durable industry-academic partnerships are built on mutual translation, not just aligned interests.
Jim Banting, U of T
In recent years, Jim has brought his industry experience into academic innovation leadership, supporting research, startups, partnerships and technology transfer across fields ranging from the life sciences, engineering and chemistry to climate technologies, artificial intelligence, mining and critical minerals, and high-performance computing. Before joining U of T, he served as Assistant Vice-Principal, Partnerships and Innovation at Queen’s University, where he helped researchers and entrepreneurs move promising discoveries toward partnerships, new ventures and real-world impact.
During his time at U of T, Jim hopes to strengthen the connective tissue between U of T’s world-class research and the partners—companies, investors, institutes and entrepreneurs—who can carry it into the world, making the path from discovery to impact faster, clearer, and more rewarding for the researchers who start it. Jim also serves as a mentor at the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) to support entrepreneurs in the Advanced Therapies stream. If you’re interested to connect with Jim to learn more about partnerships, licensing, and entrepreneurship, please reach out through the Innovations & Partnerships Office.
Here are some ways to get involved over the next few weeks, months, and years.
U of T's Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering is launching its Master of Engineering Co-op Program (MEng Co-op) for the incoming September 2026 cohort of Master of Engineering students. The program includes an 8-month placement and leverages tax incentives and matching programs (where eligible). MEng Co-op students in Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry, Civil & Mineral Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Aerospace Studies can participate in the program. Reach out to the Engineering Career Centre to learn about how your company can participate.
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U of T's Data Sciences Institute is hosting a suite of three micro-credential sessions this summer on Data Science Fundamentals (register by July 7th!), Machine Learning Fundamentals, and Deploying AI. Learn more about activities and partnership opportunities with DSI.
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Get hands-on training on microfluidic device prototyping, scale-up fabrication, micro-injection molding, roll-2-roll coating, advanced 3D printing, photo & soft lithography through the July 8-10, 2026 Microfluidics Professional Course hosted by the Centre for Research and Applications in Fluidic Technologies (CRAFT). Application areas include molecular diagnostics & analytics, organs on chips for drug discovery, biofabrication, chemical and materials synthesis, and energy. Learn more about CRAFT.
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Looking to host an executive retreat or corporate off-site in downtown Toronto like Rohto Pharmaceuticals and The Mentholatum Company did in May? U of T has multiple venues that companies have used for workshops, panel sessions, receptions, and meetings including our Engineering Partnerships Office and our Schwartz Reisman Innovation Campus. For more information or to schedule a visit, contact our Ecosystem Engagement teams.
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U of T's Engineering Partnerships Office (EPO) at 800 Bay Street is a home base in Toronto's downtown Discovery District for companies looking to lease private office space or host an event. Boasting up to 4000 square feet of highly configurable office and dry lab space, the EPO is a great place from which companies can connect with U of T's talent, research, and entrepreneurial communities. For more information or to schedule a visit, contact the EPO.
Getting World Cup fever? So are we! We hope you cheered your heart out at one of the many watch parties on/around campus. (image generation help from Microsoft Copilot 😉).
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We hope you enjoyed the Blue Door Quarterly. If you want to follow up on any of the above or learn about how you can form a partnership with U of T, reach out to us at bluedoor@utoronto.ca or visit us at bluedoor.utoronto.ca.
-The Blue Door Team
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