Medventions Atlantic Launches Medtech Entrepreneurship Pilot Program with NL Health Services’ Living Lab and the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub

TORONTO, Ontario & HALIFAX, Nova Scotia & ST. JOHN'S, Newfoundland and Labrador--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Medventions, Canada’s leading medical technology (medtech) innovation and entrepreneurship program, launched a pilot program in Newfoundland and Labrador, in partnership with Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services and the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub. This pilot program marks the third Medventions site across Canada, further expanding the program’s national reach.

Founded in 2016 by Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) in Toronto, Medventions is a hospital-based, commercialization-focused fellowship designed to equip motivated medtech entrepreneurs with the skills needed to fuel Canada’s growing medtech sector.

Medventions fellows are assigned a clinical area and a dedicated clinician to shadow and work with for the duration of the fellowship, identifying clinical opportunities for innovation in real health-care settings. During the program, fellows also attend courses and seminars to equip them with the latest knowledge on innovating and commercializing medical devices.

“Canada’s medtech sector is at a defining moment — one shaped by rapid advances in artificial intelligence,” said Dr. Ahmed Nasef, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Medventions. “To translate these breakthroughs from bench to bedside, Canada must invest not only in technology but in the people who will commercialize it. That’s why the expansion of Medventions to a third site in Canada marks a pivotal step in building a pan-Canadian innovation workforce.”

NL Health Services’ Living Lab and innovation team will work collaboratively with the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, along with the Medventions team at Sunnybrook Research Institute, to deliver the first Medventions Atlantic–NL cohort in Carbonear and St. John’s. Building on the success of Medventions’ expansion into Nova Scotia, the Health Innovation Hub is supporting the continued growth of Medventions Atlantic into Newfoundland and Labrador.

“NL Health Services is pleased with Medventions’ expansion to Newfoundland and Labrador and looks forward to continued collaboration with partners and innovators across the province. This initiative will provide valuable experience and opportunities to strengthen the medtech sector here,” said Ron Johnson, Vice President of Digital Health, Innovation and Research, and Chief Information Officer (A) for NL Health Services. “As a health authority, we have been nurturing health-care innovators, and through this fellowship pilot program, we can offer direct, hands-on experience with mentors to guide advancements that will enhance the health and well-being of people throughout the province.”

Medventions Atlantic–NL gives people practical, hands-on experience turning medical device ideas into real products by linking innovators directly with real problems faced by health-care workers. It will focus on addressing technological gaps in anesthesiology, an area with significant potential for innovation and improved patient care.

“This program has been incredibly successful here in Nova Scotia, in large part because of the strong collaboration across teams and jurisdictions,” says Margaret Palmeter, Senior Director of Innovation at the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub. “Working closely with our colleagues at Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services and Bounce has shown us the value of learning together, and it’s a natural next step to expand the program with them. Alongside the outstanding team at Sunnybrook Research Institute, this collaboration will continue to strengthen the next generation of innovators and problem solvers—something healthcare needs not only across Canada, but around the world.”

The Medventions program is supported by INOVAIT, Canada’s image-guided therapy and artificial intelligence network led by SRI and funded in part through the Government of Canada’s Strategic Response Fund.

“The expansion of the Medventions program into Newfoundland and Labrador will foster homegrown innovation in health care across Canada,” said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. “By expanding the pan-Canadian ecosystem, INOVAIT is empowering talented Canadians to turn clinical needs into commercial solutions in the medtech sector, which will improve patient outcomes, create jobs and generate economic growth in communities across Atlantic Canada.”

As Canada faces increasing demands within healthcare, it’s critical that we are not only developing innovative devices from a Canadian health-care context but also empowering Canadians to lead the commercialization of these cutting-edge devices. By fostering entrepreneurial capacity nationwide, we’re ensuring Canadian ideas are built by Canadian innovators–anchoring economic growth, creating career-launching jobs, and ultimately delivering better health outcomes for years to come.

For full details on the Medventions Atlantic–NL pilot program, please visit the dedicated web page to learn more: https://medventions.ca/medventions-atlantic/medventions-atlantic-nl/.

About Medventions
Founded at Sunnybrook Research Institute, Medventions is a hospital-based, medtech innovation fellowship program that targets clinical needs and nurtures Canada’s promising medtech entrepreneurs. The fellowship program uniquely creates opportunities for meaningful clinical innovation. Medventions bridges the understanding gap between engineering research and the clinical domain by immersing fellows in real clinical settings across Canada, allowing them to observe clinical procedures and engage with clinicians to hone in the true needs of Canadian healthcare and develop innovations to solve for those needs.

About INOVAIT
​​INOVAIT is the national image-guided therapy (IGT) and artificial intelligence (AI) network developing and commercializing advanced groundbreaking AI-enhanced IGT technologies. Established in 2020 at Sunnybrook Research Institute, the network invests strategically in collaborative partnerships that build upon Canada’s strength in digital innovation and health science research to create a critical mass of world-leading medtech companies.

About Sunnybrook Research Institute
Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) is the research arm of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, one of Canada’s leading academic health sciences centres. SRI is internationally recognized for its groundbreaking work in biomedical discovery, clinical innovation, and the translation of research into real-world health solutions. Its scientists and clinicians are advancing breakthroughs in areas such as image-guided therapy, neuroscience, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and trauma—helping to transform patient care in Canada and around the world.

About Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) Health Services is responsible for delivering quality health care to approximately 556,000 Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. The provincial health authority is supported by over 25,000 employees and physicians who together work to improve the health and well-being of every person, in every community. Guided by the vision of Health Accord NL, NL Health Services offers a comprehensive range of health-care programs and services through a wide network of facilities, clinics, and community services across five zones: Central, Eastern-Rural, Eastern-Urban, Labrador-Grenfell, and Western.

About Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub
As the front door for innovation and partnerships, the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub connects members of the health ecosystem to advance solutions that improve health outcomes for Nova Scotians. The Health Innovation Hub takes a thoughtful, evidence-informed approach—working with partners to bring both local and global innovations to life in ways that align with the real needs of patients and the health system. Its focus is on what matters most: the tools, technologies, and models of care that help move the system from where it is today to where it needs to be tomorrow.

clara@inovait.ca