A new partnership by MaRS, OBIO® and TIAP aims to help ventures scale faster, attract capital and deliver breakthrough health innovations to the world. 

Ontario’s life sciences sector is taking a major leap forward with the launch of Life Sciences Central, a new collaborative initiative that brings together the  commercialization services, investment networks and talent resources of three of the province’s leading innovation organizations: MaRS Discovery District (MaRS), OBIO^® and Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners (TIAP).

By aligning support across these three key organizations, Life Sciences Central aims to  streamline the growth path for health and life sciences startups, helping them scale faster, raise critical early-stage funding and remain rooted in Ontario.

“Ontario has world-class researchers, entrepreneurs and institutions. But we’ve long lacked the cohesive infrastructure to translate that excellence into scale-ready companies,” says Grace Lee Reynolds, CEO, MaRS Discovery District. “Life Sciences Central addresses that gap by connecting the dots across our ecosystem, lab space, capital, talent and commercialization support, which will make  it easier for high-potential ventures to grow here at home.”

Life Sciences Central is designed to simplify how ventures access commercialization resources, improving the experience of navigating a historically fragmented ecosystem. It offers unified  support services to create a shared pipeline so that companies receive the right help at the right time from Ontario’s top advisors and investor networks.

“This initiative is about unlocking Canada’s full economic and innovation potential,” says Dr. Maura Campbell, president and CEO, OBIO^®. “We are proud to be working with MaRS and TIAP to ensure that more companies move from promising ideas to real-world health solutions, while creating jobs and attracting investment in the process.”

Life Sciences Central includes both open, self-serve resources, such as community events, digital tools and market insights, as well as targeted support for high-potential ventures, including tailored access to capital, IP licensing, talent matching and infrastructure services.

“This level of alignment and integration is a game-changer for the sector,” says Parimal Nathwani, president and CEO, TIAP. “Together, we can eliminate inefficiencies, focus resources and accelerate the journey for startups tackling some of the most urgent health challenges of our time.”

Ontario is home to more than half of the country’s health research output, but its startups have historically lagged in scaling and commercialization compared to global peers. Life Sciences Central is a bold step toward changing that and positioning Ontario as the world-leading hub for health innovation.