Innovation UBC at Web Summit Vancouver 2026

This Life Sciences themed lab tour will feature some of the prolific research being translated into life-saving medicines; the achievements of bio-medical engineering and robotics; and the infrastructure being built to help scale a thriving bio-manufacturing ecosystem. This will be an exciting look at the future of healthcare innovation. 

Lab Tour #1: School of Biomedical Engineering (Medicine, Applied Science) 

• The Conconi BioDevice Foundry – a first of its kind in Western Canada, this facility with its state-of-the-art cleanrooms and equipment dedicated to developing analytics-on-a-chip, organ-on-a -hip, and bio-manufacturing-on-a-chip devices. (Huawei Li, Govind Kaigala, Sofia Graham Arshavsky) 

• Kuka Robot: This robot, commonly used in vehicle assembly, is used at SBME to study a range of topics from spinal injury prevention to wayfinding in patients living with Alzheimer’s disease. (Loay Al-Salehi, Jeff Nickel, Peter Cripton) 

• Human Motion Biomechanics Lab (HUMBL) (Calvin Kuo’s Lab) - Using sensor technologies, the HUMBL group collaborates closely with VGH and BC Children’s hospitals.  Demos available include Open Pose and full marker-based motion capture (2^nd is high prep time so a longer time/attention is requested) and IMU movement sensing.    

Lab Tours #2 & #3: 

Canada’s Immuno-Engineering and Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH) Canada’s Immuno-Engineering Biomanufacturing Hub (CIEBH) brings together a coalition of 60+ multisectoral partners to accelerate the development and manufacturing of lifesaving medicines for B.C. and Canada. CIEBH is driving cutting edge research and biomanufacturing capabilities with translation projects poised to have substantial patient outcomes. CIEBH themed projects include the Advanced Therapeutics Manufacturing Facility (ATMF); advanced RNA LNP Vaccine engineering, antibody treatments to bolster Canada’s pandemic preparedness and social-behavioural insights to identify trends, build public trust and promote equitable access and uptake of lifesaving medicines. 

• Lab Tour #2: Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health (Sriram Subramaniam Lab) - Cryo-EM is impressive research equipment. This giant microscope helps tell the story of how the science is done and what the data outputs are, along with the advanced cryo-electron microscopy and AI to accelerate antibody treatments for dangerous pathogens. 

• Lab Tour #3: Life Sciences Institute (Cullis Lab) - Pieter Cullis is known globally for his innovative work on Lipid Nanoparticles (LNP), the drug delivery system that made mRNA vaccines like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines possible.  His team is developing RNA LNP vaccine formulations that are custom designed for protecting against viral and bacterial pathogens and for treating cancer. Cullis’ entrepreneurial drive helped launch more than a dozen UBC spin-off companies and inspired hundreds of students to pursue careers in biotech. He and others set in motion a life sciences ecosystem that now includes more than 2,000 companies across B.C., employing more than 20,000 people. 

• UBC Ventures to meet: Resolve Nanotherapeutics, Acuitas 

• Step inside UBC’s BioFoundry Lab, led by Dr. Vikram Yadav, where biology meets automation to accelerate the future of biomanufacturing. This state-of-the-art facility integrates synthetic biology, robotics, and data-driven design to rapidly engineer microbes for applications ranging from sustainable materials to next-generation therapeutics. Attendees will experience how UBC is building scalable, industry-ready platforms that translate breakthrough research into real-world solutions—unlocking new opportunities for partners, investors, and innovators in the global bioeconomy.   

Lab Tour #2: Critical Mineral Processing Lab 

• Using Quantum Sensing we can pinpoint profitable ore, while reducing the financial and environmental costs of mining. In Bern Klein’s lab, orebody knowledge is being translated into commercial opportunities through UBC ventures. 

Lab Tour #3: HATCH Makerspace 

• The HATCH Makerspace is home to many UBC startups building, testing and prototyping their innovative solutions. Located in the Institute of Computing Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS), the Makerspace boasts over 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment providing an environment where early-stage companies can technically de-risk their innovations.  

How UBC is Scaling Cutting-Edge Renewable Resource Solutions 

This climate themed lab tour will feature researchers and Ventures tackling challenges in carbon removal and renewable resources, along with a demonstration of how the convergence of robots and chemistry is paving the way for new and innovative cleantech solutions.   

Lab Tour #1: Department of Chemistry 

• This tour will provide an inside look at how world-class atmospheric chemistry research is driving next generation cleantech innovation. Hosted by Professor Nadine Borduas-Dedekind and her team, this lab tour will showcase pioneering work in atmospheric chemistry, including advanced techniques to detect and decode complex chemical signatures in the air — from environmental pollutants to the science of scent. Through projects such as SOLACE, the lab is uncovering how airborne molecules behave, interact, and impact climate and human health. 

• In the Ice Lab, we develop materials to control the freezing of water droplets for geoengineering and biotechnology applications. The freezing of water in nature is important for processes such as cloud formation and precipitation, and in the survival of certain microorganisms. Because surface chemistry determines the temperature and efficiency of ice formation, we engineer nanoscale materials to precisely tune freezing behavior. We will showcase droplet freezing experiments and demonstrate how this freezing process can be precisely controlled through synthesized nanomaterials. We will also highlight how these ice nucleation technologies can be applied to solar radiation management, an emerging climate change mitigation strategy, as well as to low-cost diagnostic platforms for cancer detection.  

• Step inside the Hein Lab at UBC’s Department of Chemistry — home to SDL7 (Self-Driving Laboratory 7) — where automation, data science, and advanced chemistry are transforming how new molecules and materials are discovered. 

Led by Professor Jason Hein, this lab is pioneering self-driving laboratory technology that uses robotics, machine learning, and high-throughput experimentation to dramatically accelerate chemical research. By automating and optimizing complex reactions, the team can rapidly identify more efficient, lower-waste pathways for producing pharmaceuticals, advanced materials, and sustainable chemical processes. 

Lab Tour #2: HATCH Makerspace 

• The HATCH Makerspace is home to many UBC startups building, testing and prototyping their innovative solutions. Located in the Institute of Computing Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS), the Makerspace boasts over 10,000 square feet of state-of-the-art equipment providing an environment where early-stage companies can technically de-risk their innovations. 

• UBC Ventures to meet: Tydra Labs, Narval Energy, SBI 

Lab Tour #3:  Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Stewardship 

• This tour theme highlights UBC’s leadership in bio-based and forest-derived materials, with a focus on research that replaces petrochemical inputs with sustainable alternatives derived from trees (e.g., lignin, nano-crystalline cellulose). The work is highly applied, industry-facing, and well aligned with foreign direct investment interests in sustainable materials, clean manufacturing, and commercialization-ready R&D.
• Advanced Renewable Materials Lab - Develops innovative materials that have a positive impact on the environment. Led by Canada Research Chair in Advanced Renewable Materials, Dr. Scott Renneckar, this lab focuses on plan-based polymers to create materials that utilize captured carbon dioxide, permanently removing it from the air.
• Sustainable Biopolymers Lab – Led by Dr. Feng Jiang, Canada Research Chair in Sustainable Biopolymers, is a leading researcher in sustainable materials with a focus on developing high-performing materials derived from forest-based resources.