Internal Funding Opportunity

Technology Advancement Program

Internal Funding Opportunity

Technology Advancement Program

The SickKids Technology Advancement Program (TAP) advances late-stage pre-clinical health care innovations through project funding, structured advice, project governance, and strategic networking opportunities.

Bring your innovation to the next level.

The SickKids Technology Advancement Program (TAP) is an initiative led by the Industry Partnerships & Commercialization (IP&C) office to advance late-stage pre-clinical health care innovations through project funding, structured advice, project governance, and strategic networking opportunities. TAP strengthens IP&C’s ability to develop and de-risk SickKids innovations beyond basic proof-of-principle.

This initiative is supported by the SickKids Commercialization Advisory Board (CAB), a panel of experienced commercialization and investment professionals who provide tailored feedback and guidance to help refine each project’s pathway to impact. The CAB selects projects to receive up to $350,000 in funding to facilitate proposed de-risking and commercialization activities.

Technology Advancement Program

Program Information

Applicants may request funding per the award threshold below for a project period of up to 12 months to support de-risking and commercialization activities.

  • Medical Device/Clinical Software/Diagnostics = Maximum $150,000
  • Pharma/Biotech = Maximum $350,000

Funding for successful projects will be released in installments as the project progresses and meets its agreed-upon milestones.

Eligible Costs:

  • Project consumables
  • Research materials
  • Applicable service fees (e.g. core facility fees, statistical services, clinical services, etc.)
  • SickKids personnel

Ineligible Costs:

  • Computer and equipment purchasing
  • Capital or overhead costs
  • Travel
  • Principal investigator or external collaborator salaries

To be eligible for the SickKids Technology Advancement Program (TAP), projects must demonstrate strong potential for real-world impact, supported by compelling early evidence of feasibility and advancement.

*Please note that projects or technologies that already have an identified external partner or license agreement are not eligible for TAP funding.

Projects must meet the following criteria to be considered for the 2026 TAP:

  • Unmet Clinical Need
    • Addresses a clearly defined unmet clinical need.
  • Development Stage 
    • Minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 completed; elements of TRL 4 preferred. Review the 2026 TAP TRL Information Sheet for additional details.
      • Biopharma: Evidence of efficacy in a validated animal model, or strong justification for an in-vitro model.
      • Medical Devices: Demonstrated safety and effectiveness.
      • Diagnostics: Working prototype with demonstrated sensitivity and specificity.
      • Software: Early clinical validation (e.g., retrospective testing, prospective study plans, regulatory pathway considerations).
  • Intellectual Property (IP)
    • IP is assessed and well-positioned.
      • Biopharma: Patent filed.
      • Medical Devices: Provisional filed or in progress.
      • Diagnostics: Patent filed or unique know-how defined.
      • Software: Unique know-how defined; copyright where appropriate.
  • Feasibility
    • TAP funding must meaningfully advance the project toward a value inflection point.
  • Previous Funding
    • Prior commercialization-focused funding (e.g., SK PoP, TIAP, LAB150, SK Foundation, CIHR) is acceptable.
  • Market Potential
    • Defined primary market, known barriers, and potential for market expansion

 

The SickKids TAP follows a multi-stage selection process:

  1. Expression of Interest (EOI)

All EOIs will be evaluated by a review committee comprised of subject matter experts and representatives from the Industry Partnerships & Commercialization (IP&C) Office. EOIs will be assessed to verify Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) and determine overall TAP eligibility.

    • Call for EOIs: February 5, 2026
    • EOI Submission Deadline: 5:00PM EST, February 17, 2026
  1. Invitation to Apply

Projects that have been deemed eligible via their EOI submission will receive an invitation to submit a full project proposal. Proposals will be assessed for their technical merit, potential for translation, and fit with current TAP objectives. Applicants may be requested to meet with the review committee if additional context is required.

    • Invitation to Apply: Early March, 2026
    • Application Deadline: 5:00PM EST, March 23, 2026
  1. Pitch Presentations

The top three applicants will be invited to further develop their project proposal into a 10-minute presentation, with assistance from the IP&C Business Development team and external key opinion leaders. Final presentations will take place on Pitch Day, during which the SickKids Commercialization Advisory Board (CAB) will evaluate each project’s scientific merit, commercial potential, and advancement potential to determine the 2026 TAP funding recipient.

    • Selection of Top Projects: Early April, 2026
    • Pitch Day: May 28, 2026

TAP 2026 Program Guidelines – PDF Version

Expression of Interest (EOI) Form – Microsoft Forms Link

Expression of Interest (EOI) Form – Fillable PDF Version

Technology Readiness Level (TRLs) Information Sheet

Commercialization Advisory Board (CAB)

Technology Advancement Program Funding Recipients

$0
Total funds awarded through TAP to support innovation at SickKids
YearAwardPrincipal InvestigatorProject TitleClassification
2025$350,000Dr. Roman MelnykDevelopment of a first-in-class anti-toxin therapeutic for Clostridioides difficileTherapeutic
2026$150,000Dr. Robert SiddawayClinical Implementation of DNA methylation analysis for neurodevelopmental disorder diagnosticsDiagnostic
2026$150,000Dr. Luc MertensPACE Health: Fast, Automatic, Pediatric Echocardiography AnnotationSoftware
TOTAL$650,000   

Past Programming

2026 Technology Advancement Program

Building on the success of its inaugural year, the 2026 Technology Advancement Program (TAP) supported a cohort of high-potential innovations advancing toward clinical and commercial readiness. Led by IP&C, participating teams received strategic guidance, market-focused advice, and feedback from members of the SickKids Commercialization Advisory Board (CAB). Selected projects spanned diagnostics, therapeutics, and digital health, each addressing significant unmet health care needs while demonstrating strong potential for real-world impact.

The program concluded with final presentations on May 28th, where investigators shared progress toward key development milestones and outlined their commercialization strategies. Following a competitive review process, the CAB selected two projects to receive TAP funding in recognition of their scientific strength, translational potential, and readiness for advancement. Dr. Robert Siddaway, alongside Dr. Rosanna Weksberg, was awarded $150,000 to support the clinical implementation of DNA methylation analysis for neurodevelopmental disorder diagnostics. Dr. Luc Mertens received $150,000 to advance PACE Health, an AI-enabled platform for automated pediatric echocardiography annotation.

In addition to funding, both teams will continue to benefit from strategic guidance and commercialization support as they work toward broader adoption and impact.

2026 TAP Funding Recipient: Robert Siddaway
2026 TAP Funding Recipient: Luc Mertens
Participating Projects:

Principal Investigator: Luc Mertens

Paediatric echocardiography plays a critical role in assessing cardiac function, but current measurement methods rely on manual image annotation, a time-consuming process that introduces variability and can limit reliability in clinical decision-making. To address this challenge, the research team developed PACE Health, a deep learning application that automatically traces the left and right ventricles in paediatric echocardiograms and generates five key clinical metrics of cardiac function. Initial studies have demonstrated the model’s ability to accurately and reliably quantify both right and left ventricular performance.

The project will conduct external validation of the application using paediatric echocardiograms from patients with tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and healthy controls collected at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. The team will evaluate the performance of the automated metrics and assess variability across patient populations to support broader clinical adoption. By enabling rapid, reliable, and comprehensive cardiac assessment, PACE Health has the potential to improve access to advanced echocardiographic measurements across a range of paediatric care settings.

IP&C Business Development Representative: Mauricio Meza

Principal Investigator: Xi Huang

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and treatment-resistant cancers, with a median patient survival of approximately 15 months despite surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. To address two major barriers to effective treatment—chemotherapy resistance and an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment—the research team developed a first-in-class designer peptide that disrupts a cancer-specific EAG2-Kvβ2 protein interaction shown to drive GBM growth. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the peptide’s ability to suppress the growth of temozolomide-resistant GBM and activate anti-tumor immune responses.

The project will evaluate the peptide’s ability to remodel the GBM tumor microenvironment and determine the therapeutic efficacy of combining the designer peptide with immunotherapy in preclinical models. This work aims to establish a novel treatment strategy that simultaneously targets tumor resistance and immune suppression, two key challenges limiting progress in GBM treatment.

IP&C Business Development Representative: Konrad Powell-Jones

Read the Technology Brief

Principal Investigator: Christopher Pearson

At least 15 neurodegenerative disorders, including Huntington’s disease (HD), are caused by pathogenic DNA repeat expansions that continue to grow in vulnerable brain regions over time, driving disease onset and progression. Despite the emergence of therapies designed to target these repeat expansions, there are currently no clinical tools capable of measuring ongoing somatic repeat expansion burden in the brains of living individuals or monitoring whether treatment is successfully altering disease-associated expansion dynamics.

To address this critical gap, the research team developed Tandem Repeat Expansion droplet digital PCR (TREddPCR), an ultra-sensitive assay that estimates somatic repeat expansion burden from low-input DNA, including cell-free DNA from cerebrospinal fluid and blood. The project will validate TREddPCR in clinical biofluids and brain tissue from individuals with HD, establish clinical-grade assay standards and quality controls, and define a regulatory and commercialization strategy. By enabling non-invasive monitoring of disease-associated repeat expansions, TREddPCR has the potential to support biomarker development, therapeutic monitoring, and clinical research across a broad range of repeat expansion neurodegenerative disorders.

IP&C Business Development Representative: Oksana Goncharenko

Principal Investigator: Robert Siddaway & Rosanna Weksberg

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) are a leading cause of childhood disability, yet approximately 30% of genetic tests identify variants of uncertain significance (VUSs), leaving many patients and families without a definitive diagnosis. To address this challenge, the research team has identified 65 NDD-specific DNA methylation episignatures and developed EpigenCentralDx, a diagnostic platform that uses these signatures to determine whether VUSs are disease-causing or benign with high sensitivity and specificity. In some cases, the platform can also identify alternative disorders that better match a patient’s clinical presentation.

The project will clinically validate the DNA methylation testing platform within an existing diagnostic laboratory workflow and establish the infrastructure required for clinical implementation. By resolving uncertain genetic findings and providing more definitive diagnoses, this approach has the potential to improve patient management, enable earlier interventions, and expand access to precision diagnostics for children and families across Canada.

IP&C Business Development Representative: Kamran Rezai

2025 Technology Advancement Program

The inaugural SickKids Technology Advancement Program (TAP) ran from March to August 2025, supporting three promising projects with IP&C-led guidance and input from leaders in investment and industry. Projects selected to participate in the program addressed clearly defined clinical needs, demonstrated strong intellectual property positioning, and were at a stage where funding and mentorship could drive meaningful progress toward commercialization.

The program culminated on August 20, 2025, with final pitch presentations during which lead investigators showcased the scientific merit, market opportunity, and advancement potential of their innovations. Following thoughtful discussion and deliberation, the SickKids Commercialization Advisory Board (CAB) selected Dr. Roman Melnyk as the 2025 TAP funding recipient for his project aimed at mitigating Clostridioides difficile infections. His work will receive $350,000 in development funding along with continued mentorship to support future commercialization activities.

2025 TAP Funding Recipient: Roman Melnyk
Participating Projects:

Millions of people suffer from chronic lung diseases like COPD, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis, yet current treatments only manage symptoms without addressing the root cause—an underlying dysfunction in the lung’s immune response.

To tackle this gap, the Post lab has developed engineered human alveolar-like macrophages (ALMs) from stem cells using their patent-protected, scalable protocol. These ALMs can be delivered directly into the lungs and engineered to restore immune balance, repair damaged tissue, fight infection, or even target cancer. In preclinical models, ALMs have shown the ability to clear bacterial and viral infections, reverse lung damage in emphysema, and target tumor cells.

This platform offers a highly versatile, disease-modifying approach that could reshape treatment for a broad range of lung conditions currently unresponsive to standard care.

IP&C Business Development Representative: Stephanie Tammam

Read the Technology Brief

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a dangerous, spore-forming bacterium that causes severe diarrhea and colon inflammation. The current standard of care relies on antibiotics, but this approach is inadequate as it further disrupts the gut microbiota and fails to directly target the harmful toxin, ultimately contributing to persistent and recurring infections.

Researchers at SickKids synthesized novel bile acid variants that resist early absorption in the gut, allowing them to bind to and neutralize toxins released by C. difficile without harming beneficial gut bacteria. In lab and animal studies, these orally administered treatments were safe, highly potent, and prevented infection relapse.

This innovation represents a significant step forward in treating and preventing recurrent C. difficile infections, offering a safer, more accessible alternative to current therapies.

IP&C Business Development Representative: Kamran Rezai

Read the Technology Brief

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive brain cancer. The current standard of care, a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, lacks tumor selectivity, leading to toxic side effects, poor response rates, and nearly universal recurrence.

Huang’s team discovered a tumor-specific potassium channel complex essential for GBM growth and developed a designer peptide that selectively disrupts it. In preclinical models, the peptide eliminated both chemotherapy-sensitive and -resistant GBM cells, significantly extended survival, and showed no off-target toxicity. Notably, it also activated the tumor’s immune microenvironment, opening the door to synergistic combination with immunotherapies for durable remission.

This promising approach could provide a targeted, effective treatment option for GBM, overcoming resistance, sparing healthy tissue, and enhancing immune response.

IP&C Business Development Representative: Konrad Powell-Jones

Read the Technology Brief

IP&C Executive Director, Ihor Boszko, presents an award certificate to TAP funding recipient, Roman Melnyk