Membership at SpinUp gives entrepreneurs access to:

• Wet lab space in U of T Mississauga’s new Science Building – at heavily subsidized rates more than 50% below market standards. Here, each entrepreneur has:
  • two 6ft full lab benches plus shelving and cabinetry;
  • a dedicated 6ft fume hood; and
  • a range of shared infrastructure, equipment, and instruments, listed here
• Entrepreneurship programming run by SpinUp and UTE, one of the world’s top-five university-managed business incubators. Supports include mentorship programs, networking events, and a robust curriculum customized by SpinUp and delivered by our network of partners. Our programming focuses on building strong lab cultures and helping companies scale up beyond their early stages.
• Outstanding faculty and science trainees at U of T, a world top-twenty university. U of T Mississauga opens entrepreneurs to new research partnerships and opportunities for student internship – all in the Greater Toronto Area, at the heart of Canada’s two largest life science sectors.

• Co-working office space in an open-concept suite, including:
  • Two dedicated individual cubicles with lockable cabinets; and
  • Access to bookable meeting rooms.

Members also have the opportunity to work alongside other entrepreneurs at SpinUp, growing their companies through the shared knowledge of a talented cohort. Together, talent accelerates innovation.

► To learn more about SpinUp’s supports, please explore our website.

SpinUp invites applications from scientists at U of T and beyond whose start-up companies:

• are incorporated and are early-stage – up to and including seed-funded ventures;
• have demonstrated need of subsidized wet lab space;
• are developing impactful, promising innovations for the betterment of human health, society, and beyond;
• have a vested interest in interacting with U of T Mississauga’s community by, e.g., (a) building research partnerships with faculty; (b) participating in our INSPIRE entrepreneurship program; (c) supporting students through experiential and work-study education; and beyond; and
• participate in another UTE accelerator program or are supported by a U of T external partner organization. Examples of partners include – but are not limited to – CCRM, ISED, Ontario Genomics, OBIO, adMare, Altitude Accelerator, IDEA Mississauga, SPEC Labs, and MaRS.

► For questions about eligibility, please email spinup@utoronto.ca.

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that the following materials/hazards are prohibited from use on the SpinUp premise:

• Risk Group 3 pathogens
• Risk Group 4 pathogens
• Security sensitive biological agents (SSBAs)
• Radioisotopes

► To determine the Risk Group of your materials, please use this searchable database: https://health.canada.ca/en/epathogen

By submitting your application, you also acknowledge that, upon becoming a member of SpinUp:

Your team members using the SpinUp facilities will be required to:

• complete safety training that our team will arrange for you, in line with the University’s Environmental Health & Safety requirements; and
• attend an orientation session as part of your onboarding process;

Your startup will enter into a standard space use agreement with the University of Toronto for use of SpinUp facilities, for a 2-year membership term contingent on your team’s adequate use of these facilities. The agreement may be terminated with adequate notice by your startup, or by the university, prior to the 2-year mark;

Your startup will be required to complete a hazard assessment form, and apply and meet all necessary requirements to obtain and maintain a biosafety permit through the University of Toronto for the use of Risk Group 1 (RG1) or Risk Group 2 (RG2) pathogens. RG2 pathogens will only be permitted to be used in the designated RG2 spaces. Any RG2 pathogens that cannot be supported by the existing RG2 spaces will not be permitted.

• If you are unsure of the Risk Group classification of your materials, please use this searchable database: https://health.canada.ca/en/epathogen

Your startup will pay a highly subsidized, affordable monthly membership fee for the duration of your residency at SpinUp;

Both the lab space and office space are co-working facilities, and you will be responsible for protecting your own confidential materials as needed; and

Your team will be required to complete, at a minimum, Level 1 of U of T’s free Intellectual Property Education Program within the first 6 months of your membership term.

Your team members will agree to abide by SpinUp’s code of conduct, which will be provided upon acceptance into SpinUp

Your startup will enter into an NDA with SpinUp to ensure confidentiality is maintained within the SpinUp spaces and programming.

• SpinUp is the first wet lab venture incubator at the University of Toronto, Canada’s leading centre for learning and discovery and one of the world’s top-two universities for health science productivity.
• SpinUp is purpose built to drive life science innovation. It offers early-stage life science start-ups access to outstanding wet lab space, equipment, and expertise in the new science building at U of T Mississauga – at a fraction of the cost of comparable facilities. The new Science Building opened in Fall 2023 as one of the greenest and most comprehensive wet lab facilities in North America.
• SpinUp is proudly part of U of T entrepreneurship, a network of 12+ innovation accelerators across three campuses. Over the past ten years, this network has supported more than 650 capital-backed companies, which have created 9,000 jobs and raised $2.5 billion in external investment. U of T now launches more research-based start-ups than any university in North America outside of MIT.

► Learn more about SpinUp and U of T Entrepreneurship here.