Research and Development

The Canadian leader in intellectual property

Waterloo is the Canadian leader in the production of intellectual property (IP) with 150 patents granted per 100,000 people – 11 times the national average. The University of Waterloo’s unique “creator-owned” intellectual property policy allows students and researchers to own their own ideas. Companies in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and advanced manufacturing are also driving new innovations, making Waterloo one of the world’s most patent-intensive communities. 

Research and development support for every industry

Home to 150+ research centres and institutes, the Waterloo community has the research and development expertise, facilities and support to help businesses of all types and sizes innovate. Click the links below to learn more about some of our leading research and development facilities/centres:

• Waterloo Centre for Automotive Research (WatCAR) is the largest university-based automotive research centre in Canada. OEMs like Honda and Toyota work with WatCAR to tap into the expertise of 125 researchers working in connected and autonomous vehicles, light weighting, fabrication, software, data and more

• The Waterloo Artificial Intelligence Institute (Waterloo.AI) works closely with the private sector to apply cutting-edge AI for use in a wide variety of industries, including advanced manufacturing, robotics and medicine

• The Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) harnesses the quantum laws of nature to develop powerful new technologies and drive future economies. One of the world’s top quantum experimentation hubs, research at IQC is already spurring important innovations in cybersecurity and communications

We offer a unique environment of collaboration where academic institutions, support hubs and companies form a powerful innovation ecosystem. For more information about research centres and institutes that align with your business needs, contact the Waterloo EDC team.

Your company can also benefit from research support through tax credits, grants and other incentives. Learn more about these opportunities on our Cost Advantage page.