This 3-4-weel experience is designed for graduate students specializing in the commercialization of innovations. Learners are equipped at the beginning of the course with the skills to analyze and strategize the market entry of new products or services within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Through this 3-4 week program which is situated at the end of their semester, students will apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios, developing management briefs that outline preliminary results and strategies for bringing innovations to market. This hands-on approach allows learners to bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and practical application, making them valuable assets for industry professionals seeking fresh perspectives on innovation commercialization.

Learners are mainly graduate students in a Masters program for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship. Throughout this project and the course in which they are participating, students will learn frameworks of project management that will allow them to use these skills for practical benefits to clients in innovative industries and with creative projects in commercialization of new ideas or with entrepreneurship efforts. Learners will participate in teams over a 8-10 week period in an academic semester and execute their client's project. In this process, learners will establish project scopes, statements of work, detail risk assessments, develop a timeline to execute the project, establish metrics of performance, and execute the client deliverables. Learners will provide a final live (Zoom or Teams) presentation and a final report documenting the completion of their objectives as deliverables.

Are you a business in the food/agricultural sector experiencing a challenge related to marketing, growth, or strategy? Work with students completing an independent study at the University of Guelph to gain valuable insights and develop a plan for success. Students will devote 140 hours to your project, and the deliverables will be agreed upon between the business and the student. Students are in their third or fourth year of undergraduate studies in agricultural economics and business and have gained knowledge of and skills with a focus on food and agricultural industries in quantitative analysis , e.g. using regression analysis, strategic analysis, e.g. using SWOT, PESTEL planning tools, e.g. Business Model Canvas with Value Proposition Canvas public policy impact analysis (cost-benefit analysis) Students have good communication and team working skills.

The Flexible Interdisciplinary Internship is an innovative program which is comprised of an upper-year university credit course designed to teach job-relevant skills and an environmental, agricultural, or food sector internship with a host organization. The Ontario Agricultural College within the University of Guelph seeks to collaborate with host organizations in Canada and internationally to establish internships. In the past, students have interned with consultancies, government, conservation authorities, non-profits, private sustainable energy firms, and more. Flexible internship model for employers More robust talent pipelines for the industry Opportunity to provide input on industry-relevant skills and needs Strategic partnership opportunity