Design for Startups will receive funding from National Research Council Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) to work with 40 early-to-mid stage technology companies over the course of the next two calendar years. The funding from NRC IRAP builds on the success of Design for Startups, which has been implemented with 100+ companies to date.

Design for Startups helps companies that would like to create, analyze or improve their digital products, services, or platforms. Delivered in a design lab model, the program matches students with expertise in interaction design, industrial design, service design and/or communication design with early-to-mid stage technology startups to work directly with company teams for 12 weeks in order to produce deliverables that will have impact on companies’ businesses, products, services, and platforms. Developed by Living Labs in 2013, the program is now delivered within the framework of Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship.

Design for Startups is now accepting expressions of interest from companies for its Fall 2022 cohort, the application deadline is August 22.

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.