The President's Challenge
Western University proudly presents the 3rd edition of The President's Challenge—a multi-week competition designed to empower and inspire university teams to address the urgent needs and issues plaguing our society.
Join the Western Community in solving
real-world problems at The President's Challenge!
A message from the President
In Western’s strategic plan, Towards Western at 150, we challenged our community to act boldly in the face of grand challenges and to find innovative solutions. The President’s Challenge is a call to action for students to bring their brightest ideas to the table.
Dr. Alan Shepard, President & Vice-Chancellor
Ideas to shape the world
The President's Challenge welcomes innovative minds to share solutions that address the most pressing challenges facing our society. As we embark on this exciting journey, we encourage you to form teams of two to four members, pooling your diverse skills and perspectives to craft ground-breaking solutions that could change lives. Imagine the impact your ideas could have on a global scale.
How it works: A platform for innovation
Open to all Western, Huron, and King's students, The President's Challenge invites interdisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions to the critical issues facing our society. This competition is carefully designed to enhance your academic, oral presentation, and entrepreneurial skills, all while fostering a spirit of action on global issues. By presenting your unique ideas to a panel of academic and community leaders, you are not just competing; you are actively contributing to positive change.
The 2026 President's Challenge
Canada’s Biotech Reboot:
How to keep the vital life sciences sector strong
Workshop #1
Understanding Canada's Challenge
Workshop #2
Solution Frameworks
The President's Challenge
Competitions Rules
Canadians excel at discovery—but struggle to bring our life-science innovations to market.
Recognized as a nation of researchers, innovators, and inventors, Canadians play a major role in discovering solutions in a variety of industries, from the life sciences to advanced materials. However, very few of these discoveries are developed into real-world solutions within Canada.
According to the World IP Organization, Canada ranks as the 15th most innovative country. However, the organization names Canada among several other high-income economies that “struggle to obtain a better balance between level of investment and results, often to the detriment of their overall innovation performance.”
Corporate finance strategist, columnist, and radio host Brian Crombie phrased the struggle like this:
We invent the technology. Other countries build the industry. They get the jobs, the wealth, and the global leadership. Canada gets the citation in the footnote.
This year, we’re challenging students to team up, think boldly, and help Canada close the life-sciences commercialization gap. The 2026 President’s Challenge is to design solutions that help Canada develop, scale, and deliver the medical breakthroughs we invent to benefit patients across Canada and beyond.
Prizes, How to Apply and Important Dates
Prizes:
Organized by the Western Morrissette Institute for Entrepreneurship Powered by Ivey Business School, the competition includes a healthy prize with the winning team receiving $10,000 in cash! The following are the prizes for The President’s Challenge:
- Cash prizes: $10,000, $5,000, and $2,500 for first, second, and third-placed teams, respectively.
- Travel will be covered for the top teams who participate at Winner's Network Reception;
- and finalists may have the opportunity to explore their solutions further, either through research or white papers, or assistance in building new ventures.
The President's Challenge is open to all Western, Huron and King's students.
How to apply:
The Intent-to-Compete form for The President's Challenge will close on Tuesday, February 3rd at 11:59 PM. All student teams must complete our Intent-to-Compete form to be part of the competition.
Intent-to-Compete forms will be live on January 6, 2026.
Teams chosen for The President's Challenge will need to provide a completed proposal for the final part of the competition. Specific criteria for the proposal and presentations will be updated shortly.
For more details on eligibility, please read the Competition Rules.
Important dates & deadlines:
Panel, Reception, and Info Session: January 28, 2026
Workshop Series: Saturday, January 31, 2026
Intent to Compete Deadline: February 3, 2026
Speed Mentoring: February 24, 2026
Executive Summary and Video Proposal Due: February 27, 2026
Pitch Workshop: March 6, 2026
Western Finals: March 18, 2026
President’s Challenge Winner's Reception in Toronto: March 30, 2026