Creative Destruction Lab launches program to accelerate innovations that address COVID-19
Published: April 6, 2020
The Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) has launched a new program called , which aims to rapidly transform scientific innovations into products and services that address public health and economic challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The seed-stage accelerator, which is based at the 重口味SM鈥檚 Rotman School of Management and boasts a global network of scientists, inventors, economists and mentors, , with startups, corporations, inventors, non-profit organizations and informal collaborations all eligible to apply.
鈥淣ovel crises require novel responses,鈥 said Ajay Agrawal, CDL鈥檚 founder and a professor at the Rotman School of Management, in a press release. 鈥淣ovel responses require innovation, often predicated on insights from science.鈥
Agrawal said the program was inspired by calls from scientists, policy-makers and industry leaders to assume a 鈥渨artime footing鈥 in response to the global pandemic.
鈥淭hus, our launch of CDL Recovery 鈥 a new program designed to rapidly transform technological innovations into useful products and services in the areas of public health (e.g., diagnostic tests, vaccines, remote treatments, telemedicine) and economic recovery (e.g. virtual work, re-training, remote operation, automation, food supply) in response to the global crisis.鈥
Successful applicants will be invited to a series of objective-setting sessions between April and August. They will then embark on a virtually delivered program that will utilize CDL鈥檚 objectives-based mentorship model. CDL Recovery will follow CDL鈥檚 typical program structure, but will take place in half the time due to the pressing nature of the challenges presented by the pandemic.
The CDL Recovery program will be delivered in partnership with Scale AI, a Canadian investment and innovation hub that funds industry projects and collaborations related to the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to supply chains. There are no fees for participation in the program and CDL said it doesn鈥檛 take equity in any ventures that take part in CDL Recovery.
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