Pilot Innovation Fund (PIF)

As genomics has progressed, so too has Genome BC’s research focus, moving from one of predominantly discovery to one of application and translation.

A key pillar of Genome BC’s 2020-2023 Strategic Plan is to support innovation. For the purposes of this plan, Genome BC defines innovation as the practical translation of ideas and research outcomes into new or improved products, services, processes, systems, or social interactions.

A core element of Genome BC’s innovation strategy will be a funding program that fits into the landscape of programs offered by government(s) and others while matching the needs of the ‘omics ecosystem we support.

This pilot program aims to fund a diverse set of innovation projects with a credible probability of success. Based on the outcomes of this pilot program, Genome BC will finalize and launch a longer-term Innovation Funding Program in support of its Innovation Strategy.

The objectives of the Pilot Innovation Fund are to support four to six impactful innovations and to test our approach to fund a diverse set of innovation projects.

This pilot will leverage external experts and Genome BC’s program development capacity to facilitate our development of the approach and parameters for the longer term Innovation Funding Program. Applicants are expected to provide feedback on the program and process to enable co-creation of the longer-term innovation program by responding to surveys, agreeing to attend a program review workshop and/or other input mechanisms Genome BC may use to develop its Innovation Funding Program.

Genome BC has adapted the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale for innovations involving omics. (See the Pilot Innovation Fund Guidelines, Appendix 1 for more information about the TRL pathway.)

The Pilot Innovation Fund is to advance research innovations from:

Proof-of-concept through to prototype development or/and
From prototype development through to business development and commercialization

Projects submitted to this pilot program must:

Involve innovation in the area of omics or use omics as a means to innovate,
Have a TRL of at least 3 at the beginning of the project, based on Genome BC’s scale (see Appendix 1 to the Pilot Innovation Fund Guidelines),
Justify how the project will advance the innovation by at least one step along the TRL scale, and indicate a plan for how the next step(s) will be reached beyond the proposed project, and
Describe the potential impact of the innovation and how it would be assessed.

See the Pilot Innovation Fund Guidelines for complete eligibility criteria.

Genome BC will support between four and six projects through this pilot, depending on a range of projects that are submitted and the merit of the final proposals.

Maximum funding available per project is $250,000
Maximum project duration is up to 12 months
No co-funding is required

The application process will consist of three stages:

Expression of Interest (EOI) to outline the project and indicate how the project fits the scope of the pilot.
Pitch to clarify projects.
Proposal to describe the project in more detail and provide a final research plan and budget.

Key Dates

Date	Activity
July 9, 2021	Launch of Pilot Innovation Fund (PIF)
September 1, 2021	Deadline for submission of Expression of Interests (EOIs) to Genome BC
October 1, 2021	Applicants notified of the decision for their EOI(s) Applicants selected to continue will be invited to the pitch stage
October 19, 2021	Teams pitch project to Genome BC and reviewers
October 22, 2021	Pitch results and feedback provided to teams
November 17, 2021	Deadline for submission of Proposals to Genome BC
December 20, 2021	Notification of results

Questions and/or EOI submissions should be sent to PIF@genomebc.ca

Genome BC Programs

Pilot Innovation Fund (PIF)