About Western

With an international reputation for success, Western ranks as one of Canada's top research-intensive universities. Our research excellence expands knowledge and drives discovery with real-world application. Western also provides an exceptional employment experience, offering competitive salaries, a wide range of employment opportunities and one of Canada's most beautiful campuses.

About Us

Innovation & Strategic Partnerships unites Western’s Technology Transfer Office, Strategic Partnerships, and Western Research Parks, driving the impact of Western’s research by fostering connections between research, industry, and communities.

Strategic Partnerships team is seeking a motivated and analytical student to support business development, technology commercialization, industry engagement and strategic research initiatives. This role offers the opportunity to work on projects spanning innovation, intellectual property, industry partnerships, defence and dual-use technologies, market analysis and research commercialization.

As a Business Development Project Assistant, you will support Western’s Strategic Partnerships team through on-site assistance across a diverse portfolio of projects.

Responsibilities

- Conduct market intelligence, industry research and competitive landscape analyses to support technology commercialization and strategic partnership activities.
- Research potential industry, government and academic organizations that may align with Western's research and innovation priorities.
- Assist with identifying and tracking funding opportunities from government agencies, industry partners, and other external sources.
- Support the preparation of briefing notes, presentations, reports, stakeholder profiles and engagement materials.
- Assist in gathering information on emerging technologies, innovation trends,



and strategic sectors, including artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing, clean technology, defence and security, and space-related technologies.
- Help maintain records of partnership activities, stakeholder contacts, and engagement opportunities.
- Support industry engagement activities, meetings, workshops, and special events by conducting background research and preparing materials.
- Assist with tracking and summarizing research partnership, commercialization and business development activities.
- Contribute to marketing and communication materials that showcase Western's research, innovation, and commercialization initiatives.
- Provide general project and administrative support for Strategic Partnerships.

Qualifications

- Preference will be given to students enrolled in Engineering, Computer Science, Statistics, Business, Economics, Political Science, Public Policy, or related disciplines.
- Experience developing multi-criteria decision models to evaluate defence procurement options against capability, cost, risk and strategic priorities.
- Students with demonstrated interests in innovation, commercialization, technology assessment, public policy, entrepreneurship, or industry engagement are encouraged to apply.
- Undergraduate students are welcome to apply and must be returning to full-time studies in the fall.

Other requirements

- Interest in research partnerships, innovation, commercialization, entrepreneurship, or stakeholder engagement.




- Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to summarize complex information for different audiences.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to conduct independent research, analyze information and present findings clearly.
- Experience preparing reports, presentations, or research summaries is an asset.
- Ability to work collaboratively with researchers, students, and external stakeholders in a qualified environment.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.
- Ability to manage multiple assignments and meet deadlines in a rapid-paced environment.
- Ability to handle confidential information with professionalism and discretion.

Learning opportunities

- Exposure to business development and an innovation- focused culture on campus
- Opportunities to collaborate with professionals from both business, engineering and science backgrounds

Western Values Diversity

The University invites applications from all qualified individuals. Western is committed to employment equity and diversity in the workplace and welcomes applications from women, members of racialized groups/visible minorities, Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of any sexual orientation, and persons of any gender identity or gender expression.

Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities throughout the recruitment process. If you require accommodations for interviews or other meetings, please contact Human Resources or phone (phone hidden).

Please Note:

This position is an existing vacancy. This position is fully in-person, on-site. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those chosen for an interview will be contacted.

📌 Business Development Project Assistant (Canada)
🏢 Western University
📍 Canada