At the University of Toronto’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), collaboration between academia and industry is more than a partnership — it’s a catalyst for innovation.
“The interaction between both academia and industry expedites and catalyzes the developments of both parts,” says Professor Amr Helmy, whose research in photonics explores how light can be engineered for transformative technologies that shape our daily lives.
Through his collaborations with global industry partners and research labs, Professor Helmy’s team has turned groundbreaking ideas into real-world solutions. These partnerships have led Professor Helmy and his team to patent a wide range of ideas and solutions to existing problems.
“The interaction between both academia and industry expedites and catalyzes the developments of both parts.”
For ECE students, exposure to industrial collaboration begins early — whether through undergraduate research, graduate projects, or postdoctoral training. “Students in this department end up having a set of expertise well beyond the typical academic interaction that they might find on other campuses,” notes Helmy.
By collaborating with industry leaders, ECE researchers address pressing challenges while developing technologies that drive our digital and connected world. From advancing photonics and semiconductors to enabling next-generation communications and sustainable systems, these partnerships ensure that innovation flows seamlessly between the lab and the marketplace.
At U of T ECE, collaboration isn’t just about research — it’s about impact. Together with our industry partners, we’re engineering the future.