ECHO Application & Eligibility Details

Overview

Value: Entrepreneurship training, mentorship, partnerships and a funding opportunity worth up to $100,000 per stream

Application Deadline: 11:59 pm ET on August 3, 2026

Application Process: 

Complete the following two forms:

1. ECHO Application Form – submit to Andrea Hung (andrea.hung@utoronto.ca)

2. H2i Venture Application Form - submit online

Interviews: September 2026 (by invitation only)

Program Start: October 2026

Purpose

Founded in 2018 by Soror Sharifpoor, ECHO is 12-month online training program designed to empower researchers, scientists, clinicians, trainees and entrepreneurs to commercialize their innovative health technologies.

Value

Selected ventures receive specialized support across our five unique modules, including entrepreneurship education, mentorship, partnerships and a funding opportunity worth up to $100,000 per stream.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants to the ECHO program apply through one of two distinct streams:

• Cardiovascular Stream: Open to Canada-based researchers, scientists, clinicians, trainees or entrepreneurs developing cardiovascular technologies.

• General Health Stream: Open to researchers, scientists and trainees developing health technologies outside the cardiovascular field. To be eligible for the General Health Stream of the ECHO program, projects must meet the following criteria:
  • The technology must be developed, at least in part, through a Temerty Faculty of Medicine, campus-based research lab at the University of Toronto. Technologies developed solely within affiliated hospitals or other academic or research institutions external to the University are not eligible.
  • At least one inventor must be a faculty member with a primary appointment at the University’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and must have contributed to the development of the technology through campus-based research activities.
  • The invention must be disclosed (or intended to be disclosed) to the University, through the University of Toronto Innovations & Partnerships Office, in accordance with the University’s Inventions Policy .
  • Intellectual property may be owned by the University, the inventor(s), or jointly with other organizations. However, the invention must fall within the scope of the University’s Inventions Policy and must not be governed solely by the intellectual property policies of an affiliated hospital or external organization.

Application Process

To apply to the next ECHO cohort, please complete the following two forms and submit them before 11:59 ET on August 3, 2026:

• ECHO Application Form – submit to Andrea Hung (andrea.hung@utoronto.ca)

• H2i Venture Application Form – submit online

Please note that both forms need to be completed.

Interviews

Interviews for selected applicants will take place in September 2026.

Banner and logo design by Studio More Than This