MaRS Discovery District

Type	Charitable trust
Founded	May 31, 2000
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Staff	Ilse Treurnicht, CEO
Focus	Technology transfer, commercialization
Method	Consultancy, market research, venture capital
Website	marsdd.com

MaRS Discovery District is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 2000. Its stated goal is to commercialize publicly funded medical research with the help of local private enterprises and as such is a public-private partnership.^[1]

The name MaRS was originally drawn from a file name, and later attributed with the title “Medical and Related Sciences.” As MaRS also works in other fields such as Information and Communications Technology, Engineering, and Social Innovation, it has since abandoned this association.^[1]

[edit] Facilities

The MaRS Centre, seen from the northeast corner of College Street and University Avenue

It is located on the corner of College Street and University Avenue in the city of Toronto’s Discovery District, adjacent to the University of Toronto and its affiliated research hospitals at the University Health Network.

The MaRS development consists of two phases.

[edit] Phase I

Designed by Adamson Associates Architects, Phase I includes the ‘Heritage Building’ (formerly a wing of the Toronto General Hospital from 1913 to 2002), Atrium, 11-storey ‘South Tower’ and the 15-storey ‘Toronto Medical Discovery Tower.’

The Heritage Building
The Heritage Buildin is contained within the original brick façade of the old Toronto General Hospital (TGH) and anchors the MaRS Centre. TGH occupies a unique place in Canadian history. It was the birthplace of insulin, heparin and other life-saving technologies-such as the artificial kidney and pacemaker-as well as many pioneering surgical techniques. The elegant 100,000 square-foot building has five-metre high ceilings, restored historical details and an impressive entrance and reception area. Tenants in the Heritage Building range from professional services and law firms to industry associations, multinational pharmaceutical companies, regional innovation networks and the satellite office of a leading Ontario research university. In 2006, the MaRS Centre received the Heritage Toronto Award of Excellence for Architectural Conservation and Craftsmanship.

The Atrium
A soaring glass-enclosed public space in the heart of the MaRS Centre, the Atrium that offers retail-style business services to innovators and entrepreneurs in a stunning setting. This space serves as the hub of Toronto's Discovery District and connects MaRS tenants to one another and to the Centre's many other facilities. The Atrium plays host to dozens of annual events designed to underscore the role of MaRS as a public space. From symphony performances to exhibits of scientific photography, public lectures and receptions, MaRS uses its space and resources to support Toronto's vibrant arts and culture community. MaRS encourages, recognizes and celebrates innovation and creativity in all its forms -- and the events hosted in the Atrium connect MaRS to the broader urban community.

The South Tower
Located mid-block behind the College Wing and along the south edge of the interior galleria, is the South Tower. The building is separated from the other buildings by exterior landscaped gardens. The 11-storey structure houses the majority of the incubator programs and shared facilities such as the auditorium, media center, video conference/seminar rooms, landscaped gardens, food services, and below-grade retail and amenity areas.

The 200,000 square-foot, wet lab capable building-spans eight floors in the MaRS Centre. The tower boasts advanced mechanical and electrical systems, floors with enhanced load bearing capabilities and 15-foot slab-to-slab clearances-everything needed to support the modern laboratory installations and applied research activities of the small start-ups and larger enterprises that call MaRS home.

Occupying the second and third floors of the South Tower and directly above the MaRS corporate offices, is the MaRS Incubator -a dedicated space that houses offices and laboratories for approximately two-dozen fledgling life science and technology firms.

Toronto Medical Discovery Tower
With 400,000 square feet of state-of-the-art wet labs, the 15-storey Toronto Medical Discovery Tower accommodates leading-edge scientific equipment and houses the basic research activities of two of Canada's premier research hospitals: the University Health Network and the Hospital for Sick Children.

Situated on the corner of College and Elizabeth Street, the building was designed with typical research and development lab floors configured with a side core arrangement and sheathed in metal and glass. The tower portions rest on a three-storey limestone podium that aligns with the heights of the adjoining College Wing and the formal landscape forecourt that extends the full block.

The shell and core of the TMDT is designed to accommodate a full lab program based on 80% wet lab and 20% dry lab. The lab floors have been configured to maximize future flexibility. The mechanical and electrical rooms, power and communication distribution systems, general and special exhaust risers, floor drains and service zones, have been established to allow for the fit-out by future tenants.

Phase I began operations in 2005.^[1]

[edit] Awards

"Intelligent Building of the Year" Awarded by the Intelligent Community Forum on June 12, 2006
Award of Excellence - Heritage Toronto, October 2006
Voted 2nd Place in 2006 Pugly Awards "Toronto’s Favourite Buildings"

[edit] Phase II

Phase II, designed by Bregman + Hamann Architects, will constitute a 900,000-square-foot (84,000 m²) addition to the MaRS centre in the form of a 23-story tower on the complex’s west wing. Construction began in late 2007, and was scheduled to be completed in spring 2010. ^[2] However, in November 2008, Phase II construction was put on hold due to the economic downturn.^[3]

[edit] Services

An artist’s rendition of the 23-storey Phase II tower. Construction is currently on hold.

[edit] The MaRS Centre

In accordance with its doctrine of ‘Convergence Innovation’, the MaRS centre is designed to maximize socialization, networking and random collisions.^[4] Architectural details such as large public spaces, small offices and shared facilities (e.g. break rooms) contribute to this end, as well as events such as monthly tenant pub nights or coffee breaks.

[edit] The MaRS Venture Group

The MaRS Venture group provides advisory services to startup client companies on topics such as constructing business and marketing plans, finding executives and gathering market intelligence.^[1] MaRS claims that these address the tasks of acquiring capital and developing business resources that have traditionally proven difficult for hitherto research-oriented enterprises.^[1]

[edit] Programs and Networks

Through the MaRS Collaboration Centre, MaRS puts on educational seminars, workshops and lectures on topics such as entrepreneurship, best practices and emerging technologies. For example, ‘Entrepreneurship 101’ is a free, not-for-credit lecture series designed for graduate students, post-doctoral candidates, faculty, technicians or other researchers interested in learning the practicalities of developing a company to exploit their research (see link below).^[5] Additionally, MaRS offers various online resources, including the MaRS blog, analyst reports, articles and interviews, ‘MaRS picks’ in literature and other media and event listings (see link below.)

[edit] Criticism

Inside the MaRS Centre atrium.

On April 4, 2006, members of the group “People Against the Militarization of Life” protested in front of the MaRS centre against a tentative deal for MaRS to rent an office to the Battelle Memorial Institute—a research company that has contracts from the U.S. military.^[6] MaRS stated that Battelle would be sharing its expertise in medical—rather than military—research, and that MaRS had no interest in military research.^[7] The deal later fell through.

[edit] Initiatives and affiliations

• The Toronto Discovery District
• California-Canada Strategic Innovation Partnership
• Social Innovation Generation (SiG)
• Creative Convergence Centres Project
• Premier’s Summit Awards
• Canadian Stem Cell Network
• MaRS Landing
• Stockholm Science City

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: MaRS Discovery District

• The MaRS website
• The MaRS blog Updated daily by MaRS staff and guests on topics including emerging science and technology, entrepreneurship and business, and innovation policy.
• A panoramic view of the MaRS Centre Atrium (Quicktime)
• Press release from the Office of the Premier of Ontario announcing MaRS’ official opening
• The ‘’Now Magazine’’ article on the MaRS-Battelle controversy.
• ‘’The Varsity’’ article on the MaRS-Battelle controversy.
• MaRS' "History of the MaRS Heritage Building"

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} MaRS Discovery District FAQ. URL: http://www.marsdd.com/portals/mars/faq/. Accessed on: June 1, 2007.
2. ^ MaRS Selects Alexandria Real Estate Equities to Expand the MaRS Centre in the Discovery District of Toronto.. Accessed on: June 26, 2007.
3. ^ Toronto's MaRS project a step too far. By Garry Marr, Financial Post Published: Tuesday, November 18, 2008
4. ^ MaRS Perspective into Convergence Innovation. URL: [1]. Accessed on: June 26, 2007.
5. ^ Entrepreneurship 101 – Lecture Series for Researchers. URL: [2]. Accessed on: June 26, 2007.
6. ^ Weinberg, Paul. “U of T’s Biomed Backtrack.” In ‘’Now Magazine Toronto.’’ Vol. 25, No. 36 (May 4-10, 2006.) URL: http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-05-04/news_story7.php. Accessed on: July 9, 2007.
7. ^ Smookler, D. “Probing MaRS.” In “The Varsity.” April 6, 2006. URL: http://media.www.thevarsity.ca/media/storage/paper285/news/2006/04/06/News/Probing.Mars-1799338.shtml. Accessed on: June 1, 2007.

Coordinates: 43°39′35.29″N 79°23′20.08″W / 43.6598028°N 79.3889111°W / 43.6598028; -79.3889111