Ontario Genomics

What Ontario Genomics does

Ontario Genomics is a not-for-profit regional Genome Centre, incorporated and headquartered in Toronto, that serves as Ontario's principal intermediary for genomics and engineering biology research funding. Established in 2000 as the Ontario Genomics Institute (OGI) and later rebranded, the organization operates under the national Genome Canada framework alongside peer centres in Alberta, Prairie, and Atlantic Canada. Its functional role is to channel federal, provincial, and public-private partnership funding into applied genomics research and commercialization projects spanning three sectors: human health, agriculture and food, and bioproducts and environment. Over 25 years it has catalyzed CAD $1.58B+ in investments, supported 386+ projects, established 630+ partnerships, and contributed to 595+ patents. (Note: the firmographics field lists 'for_profit', but all other source data — legal status, governance, funding model, and ownership commentary — consistently indicates non-profit/charitable structure.)

The organization's product surface comprises three funding programs and a set of technology outputs. The Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) is a national competitive program funding for-profit companies partnered with academic researchers, with total project budgets of CAD $900,000–$6,000,000 and Genome Canada contributions up to one-third (CAD $300,000–$2,000,000). BioCreate is an Ontario biotech startup accelerator providing CAD $150,000 plus 18 months of mentorship per company, funded by FedDev Ontario. HARVEST is a national agri-tech accelerator launched in 2026 with CAD $7 million from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, offering up to CAD $750,000 per project across PACT and wasteCANcreate streams. Technology outputs from funded projects include SmartRequisition (an AI-assisted clinical genomic test requisition platform using LLMs with RAG), the Dualase two-site genome editing platform (with ML-enabled prediction tooling, partnered with Specific Biologics and Western University), and the CIPHER clinical genomics network spanning five Canadian health institutions.

Ontario Genomics does not generate commercial revenue. Its business model is institutional grant administration: it receives restricted government funding from Genome Canada, AAFC, FedDev Ontario, and the Ontario Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security, and deploys these funds through competitive programs and accelerators to researchers and biotech startups. Pricing is structured as grant tiers (e.g., CAD $150K for BioCreate, CAD $350K–$750K for HARVEST, CAD $300K–$2M from Genome Canada via GAPP) rather than as commercial contracts. Customer segments are academic researchers, Canadian for-profit biotech enterprises (startup through enterprise, e.g., Specific Biologics), healthcare institutions, and government/public sector partners. The organization employs 11–50 staff and is led by President & CEO Dr. Bettina Hamelin.

Name

Ontario Genomics

Legal name

Ontario Genomics

Website

https://ontariogenomics.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ontario Genomics is a not-for-profit Toronto-based regional Genome Centre that channels federal and provincial funding into genomics and engineering biology research, accelerator programs, and commercialization projects across Canadian human health, agriculture, and bioproducts sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Genomics Research Funding and Commercialization Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Health Genomics & Sequencing (WGS/Metagenomics) Networks (HLAJAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Genomics & Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Services (HLAGANAA), Genetic & Genomic Testing (germline, somatic, carrier, pharmacogenomics) (HLAAALAD), Digital Breeding & Bioinformatics Software (Breeding informatics, decision tools) (AFABALAL)

Keywords

• Genomics research funding
• Biotech accelerator programs
• Engineering biology commercialization
• Genomic technology partnerships
• Life sciences innovation funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Funding Facilitation Services: Ontario Genomics facilitates funding from Genome Canada and other government sources to support genomics research. They do not generate commercial revenue but rather coordinate and deploy public funding to researchers and companies.
2. Accelerator Programs: Manages accelerator programs (HARVEST, BioCreate) that provide funding and mentorship to biotech startups, with funding from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ontario Genomics is a not-for-profit regional Genome Centre that facilitates genomics and engineering biology research funding and commercialization in Ontario. It operates competitive funding programs (GAPP, HARVEST, BioCreate) that distribute grants from Genome Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and FedDev Ontario to researchers and biotech startups, while also convening the ecosystem through the annual Canada SynBio conference and supporting technology platforms such as SmartRequisition and Dualase genome editing.

Product overview

Ontario Genomics operates as a research funding and commercialization organization, not a traditional product company. Its portfolio consists of funding and accelerator programs, technology platforms developed through funded research projects, and event convening services. Key offerings include: the BioCreate accelerator providing $150,000 equity-free funding plus mentorship to Ontario biotech startups; the HARVEST Business Accelerator with two streams (PACT for primary agriculture clean technologies and wasteCANcreate for waste valorization) offering up to $750,000 per company; and the GAPP funding program connecting academic researchers with industry receptors. Technology outputs from funded projects include SmartRequisition (AI-assisted genomic test ordering platform), Dualase genome editing technology (with ML-enabled prediction tools), and various genomics-based solutions across health, agriculture, and environment sectors. Ontario Genomics also convenes the annual Canada SynBio conference series for the engineering biology community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BioCreate: A biotech startup accelerator program run by Ontario Genomics providing $150,000 and 18 months of mentorship to Ontario biotech companies.
• HARVEST Business Accelerator
• GAPP (Genomic Applications Partnership Program)

Products and services

• Genomic Applications Partnership Program (GAPP) A national competitive funding program that supports Canadian for-profit enterprises partnered with academic researchers to commercialize genomic innovations. Total project budgets range from $900,000 to $6,000,000 with Genome Canada contributing between $300,000 and $2 million, and private sector contributions required to match or exceed the Genome Canada contribution. The program runs through a multi-stage intake and review process: intake form, Ontario Genomics panel review, full application, practice pitch, and final pitch to Genome Canada.
• HARVEST Business Accelerator A nationwide business accelerator investing in Canadian cleantech and agriculture companies with up to $750,000 per project plus mentorship. The program has two streams: PACT (Primary Agriculture Clean Technologies) and wasteCANcreate. Nine startups receive funding and mentorship, funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the ACT Accelerator and delivered in collaboration with Genome Alberta and Genome Prairie.
• BioCreate Program An equity-free funding and mentorship accelerator for Ontario biotech startups. Each cohort of eight companies receives $150,000 and 18 months of mentorship. The program is funded by the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario).
• SmartRequisition Platform An AI-assisted software platform that automates Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) capture at ordering and generates HL7 FHIR, LIS, or PDF requisitions for genomic testing. Uses large language models with retrieval-augmented generation to extract phenotype terms from free-text clinical notes and structured inputs. Validated across five Canadian health institutions through the CIPHER network.

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.58B+ in total investments catalyzed
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Genome AlbertacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Collaboration partner in HARVEST accelerator initiative, combining collective expertise in genomics, agriculture, and food biotechnology to support Canadian companies driving commercialization in clean technology.
• Genome PrairiecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Collaboration partner in HARVEST accelerator initiative alongside Genome Alberta and Ontario Genomics, focused on commercializing clean technologies for Canada's agricultural sector.
• Genome AtlanticcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Co-leader with Ontario Genomics on SmartRequisition initiative, supporting the $5.4 million national AI initiative for genomic test ordering modernization.
• IWK HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Leading the SmartRequisition national initiative with co-lead PhenoTips, coordinating five Canadian health institutions across four provinces.
• PhenoTipscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026Co-leader of SmartRequisition initiative with IWK Health, providing genomic workflow software platform that automates clinical note conversion to structured lab requisitions.
• Western UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Research partner with Dr. David Edgell's lab leading ML platform development for Dualase genome editors, integrating large-scale genomic datasets and structural modeling.
• Specific Biologics Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 March 2026Toronto-based biotech company receiving grant to develop ML-enabled prediction platform for Dualase genome editing technology targeting C9ORF72 ALS and Huntington's Disease.
• Genome CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational genomics funding organization that Ontario Genomics partners with as Ontario's regional genome centre, supporting research across health, agriculture, and environment sectors.
• Alberta Health ServicesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in CIPHER network validating SmartRequisition technology across Canadian healthcare institutions.
• CHU Sainte-JustineminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in CIPHER network validating SmartRequisition technology, representing Quebec in the multi-province initiative.
• CHEOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in CIPHER network validating SmartRequisition technology for pediatric genomic testing workflows.
• SickKidsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner institution in CIPHER network validating SmartRequisition technology, one of Canada's leading children's hospitals.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Genome Atlantic: Atlantic Canada regional Genome Centre; co-leads the SmartRequisition initiative with OG. Same funding-catalyst model targeting Atlantic Canadian researchers and companies.
• CQDM: Quebec Consortium for Drug Discovery, a non-profit biopharmaceutical research consortium funding collaborative R&D between academia and industry. Highly comparable business model of public-private research funding with industry partnerships.
• Genome Prairie: Sister regional Genome Centre serving the Prairie provinces and a co-collaborator with OG on the HARVEST/PACT program. Same mandate, same model, same funding sources.
• Genome Alberta: Sister regional Genome Centre that co-leads the HARVEST initiative with Ontario Genomics and Genome Prairie. Operates the same model of public-funding catalysis for genomics research and commercialization in Alberta.
• Genome British Columbia: Another Canadian regional Genome Centre with parallel mandate to fund genomics research, industry partnerships, and commercialization in BC. Same structure, funder base (Genome Canada), and program types as OG.
• Genome Quebec: Quebec's regional Genome Centre, providing genomics research funding and large-scale sequencing services. Most comparable peer in scale and scope to OG within the Genome Canada network.

Broad incumbents

• Genome Canada: National umbrella organization that funds and coordinates Canada's regional Genome Centres, including Ontario Genomics. Directly comparable as the apex of the same Canadian genomics funding ecosystem OG operates within.
• California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM): Large California state agency funding stem cell and genomics research through grants to academic and industry researchers. Comparable mission and funding-intermediary model at substantially larger scale.
• Alberta Innovates: Alberta's provincial innovation agency funding research and commercialization across health, agriculture, energy, and environment. Comparable as a public-sector innovation funder, though at a broader portfolio level than OG's genomics focus.
• NRC IRAP (Industrial Research Assistance Program): Federal Canadian program providing advisory services and funding to SMEs for technology innovation. Overlapping mandate with OG on supporting R&D commercialization, though IRAP is broader (all tech) and government-run.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ontariogenomics
• YouTubevimeo.com/ontariogenomics
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ontario-genomics
• Instagraminstagram.com/ontariogenomics/?hl=en

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments11 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ontario Genomics