Dalhousie’s first Dal Innovation Week was a resounding success. More than 1,500 students, faculty, and business leaders participated in 15 innovation-inspired events, making it Atlantic Canada’s largest community gateway into student-driven innovation.
Whether it was revolutionary advances in medicine, reimagined agricultural systems, or innovations to cut carbon emissions, each day brimmed with transformative potential.
"Our inaugural Dal Innovation Week provided the perfect opportunity to open our doors to the community to learn about Dalhousie’s innovators and entrepreneurs and the programs empowering them to turn their ambitions into reality," says Dr. Alice Aiken, vice-president, research and innovation.
“The brilliant students and researchers in the spotlight this week are pushing the boundaries of possibility, turning bold ideas generated in our research enterprise into tangible solutions that tackle some of our most pressing challenges, all while fueling the innovation economy here in Nova Scotia and beyond.”
Dal President Kim Brooks, centre, chats with Dr. OmiSoore Dryden during the Open Street Innovation event.
If you missed out on celebrating the bold ideas, here are a few highlights from Innovation Week:
Ideas to reshape the world
At Falling Walls Lab-Atlantic Canada pitch competition, 14 contenders stepped into the spotlight, armed with research-driven ideas to reshape the world — and just three minutes to make their case. The event’s top prize, an expense paid trip to compete at the Falling Walls Science Summit in Berlin in November, went to Dalhousie master’s student Constadina Rogers (pictured below). She captivated the judges with bioengineered fungal proteins, described as "Pacmen with superpowers," that devour plastic waste.
Innovation on display
Dal Demo Day showcased how Dalhousie’s research enterprise connects with industries — from ocean and health tech to advanced manufacturing, AI, and more. In total, 26 teams from Dal Innovates’ Lab2Market and Collide Launch summer accelerator programs and the Emera ideaHub’s ideaBUILD program demonstrated their innovative prototypes and pitched ventures to a panel of judges. The winning pitches included Eddie Cobbold (B.Comm ’24), graduate of Collide Launch and founder of Pucktive, a protective hockey apparel company and Pooya Nikbakhsh (MS, Mechanical Engineering, ’24), graduate of Lab2Market Launch and founder of CoaTech, a company producing protective tire mold coatings for manufacturers.
The Dal Tiger poses for a shot with Meghann Coleman, director of Dal Innovates, during Demo Day.
CaoTech founder Pooya Nikbakhsh, right, with Dal VP Research and Innovation Alice Aiken.
Connections that matter
Next was the Young Innovators Dinner, a rare opportunity for new founders to connect with investors, business leaders, and successful Dalhousie alumni who are running companies. From brewing and big data to med tech and materials discovery, these researchers-turned-entrepreneurs are improving lives, creating jobs, and driving economic growth.
An ocean of opportunity
Dal Innovation Week ended with a Blue Hackathon, where undergraduates and graduates formed teams from all disciplines, to tackle real-world ocean-based energy problems under the watchful eye of leaders from the Faculty of Management and the Deloitte Greenhouse.
The Dal Innovates network
As a member of the U15, Dalhousie is one of Canada’s top research universities. With $258 million in funded research annually, Dalhousie continues to advance innovation and groundbreaking research on a national and global scale.
No matter what you’re studying or where you are in your entrepreneurial journey, the Dal Innovates network of programs and support is your gateway into Dalhousie’s innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem where there are people and resources to give you the support you need.
Dal Innovation Week was made possible with support from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Mitacs, Springboard Atlantic, Morrison Park Advisors, Build Ventures, Emera, and Invest Nova Scotia, along with 30+ organizations from across Atlantic Canada who came together to offer opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community to explore and experience innovation and entrepreneurship.
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