We are happy to announce our Design for Startups program has received funding from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to run for Fall 2024 – Spring 2026. The program will run twice a year, and work with 40 early-to-mid stage technology companies. Design for Startups has been implemented with 124 companies since 2013, and has been running twice a year since 2020.

Design for Startups helps companies that would like to create, analyze or improve their digital products, services, or platforms. Operating within a design lab model, the program pairs students with expertise in interaction design, industrial design, service design and/or communication design with early-to-mid stage technology startups. Over a 12-week period, students will work directly with company teams to produce impactful deliverables that enhance business operations, products, services, and platforms.

About NRC IRAP

NRC IRAP is Canada’s leading innovation assistance program for small and medium-sized businesses. If you operate an innovative small or medium-sized business in Canada, we can help you build your innovation capacity and take your ideas to market. We do this through financial assistance, advisory services and connections to the best business and R&D expertise in Canada. It’s a winning model we’ve been using to drive business growth—and Canada’s innovation system—for over 70 years.