Research in Focus is a YFile series that explores the vibrant research landscape of York University’s Organized Research Units (ORUs).
These centers of research excellence serve as dynamic hubs where interdisciplinary experts collaborate with partners to tackle some of the globe’s most pressing challenges. Each edition invites readers to explore the transformative work undertaken at York University through a Q-and-A with ORU directors.
This edition explores the mission and impacts of the Manufacturing Technology Entrepreneurship Centre (MTEC) and features director George Zhu, professor in the department of mechanical engineering at the Lassonde School of Engineering.
Q: What is the mission of your ORU and its core areas of research?
A: MTEC brings together complementary disciplines to form an agile, interdisciplinary research centre with a clear mission: to accelerate the translation of cutting-edge innovations into impactful, real-world solutions. We forge strong collaborations with academic and industry partners to unlock research potential and address pressing societal and industrial challenges.
At the heart of MTEC is a commitment to aligning world-class research with the needs of local industry and the broader community. By embedding design thinking into every stage of the innovation lifecycle, we advance sustainable engineering design and next-generation manufacturing.
Beyond technology development, MTEC uniquely investigates the commercialization journey itself by identifying pathways to improve commercialization success rates and foster resilient, high-impact ventures. A key focus of our work is to support the growth of scale-ups and expand access to investment for underrepresented groups, ensuring that innovation benefits all segments of society.
Q: How does your ORU foster collaboration and partnerships to enhance research impact?
A: MTEC fosters collaboration by bringing together academic, industry and government partners through a multi-stakeholder, design-thinking approach that accelerates innovation. It builds strong interdisciplinary partnerships that integrate research in manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurship to address societal needs and ensure innovations are rigorously tested, refined and aligned with market demands. This collaborative model is further strengthened by MTEC’s ties to York University’s innovation ecosystem, including Innovation York, BEST, the Lassonde School of Engineering, Schulich School of Business and Osgoode Hall Law School.
Beyond these partnerships, MTEC also focuses on improving the commercialization process itself, with particular attention to supporting scale-ups and facilitating investment for underrepresented groups, ensuring that research impact translates into broad economic and societal benefits. Through joint research projects, workshops, mentorship and the development of inclusive innovation pathways, MTEC amplifies York’s research impact, drives commercialization success and helps strengthen Ontario’s and Canada’s position as leaders in advanced manufacturing and technology innovation.
Q: What real-world challenges is your ORU working to address and how does it align with York’s institutional priorities?
A: MTEC drives innovation to tackle critical real-world challenges by advancing manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurship that strengthen Ontario’s economy and address global needs. MTEC also focuses on improving the commercialization process, supporting scale-ups and increasing access to capital for underrepresented groups, thereby addressing equity and inclusion barriers in innovation ecosystems. These efforts directly align with York University’s priorities of interdisciplinary collaboration, sustainability, innovation, community engagement and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 3, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13).
MTEC researchers are advancing smart manufacturing through cutting-edge technologies including additive manufacturing, advanced materials and nanomaterials, robotics and automation, digital twins and artificial intelligence. In partnership with leading firms such as Genetec and Securitas, MTEC transforms innovations into market-ready solutions. Its entrepreneurship initiatives focus on novel business models and technologies that enable sustainable mobility, such as shared vehicle systems, keyless access, telemetry and fleet management, while addressing barriers to adoption.
Through deep partnerships with industry, community organizations and government, MTEC creates opportunities for experiential learning, drives regional wealth creation and translates research into technologies that deliver meaningful impact locally and globally, reinforcing York’s leadership as a catalyst for positive change.
Q: What innovative approaches or methodologies distinguish your ORU’s research?
A: MTEC stands out for its integration of interdisciplinary methodologies across three core pillars: advanced manufacturing, emerging technologies and entrepreneurship – all grounded in a design-thinking approach. The centre accelerates innovation through rapid, iterative design-prototype-test cycles and embeds user-centered research via its Living Lab model, ensuring solutions are market-ready and impactful. To strengthen academic-industry partnerships, MTEC hosts a monthly speaker series featuring leaders from industry, government and the commercial sector. Additionally, MTEC convenes national and international conferences and workshops to spark research collaborations and build networks that extend from local to global levels.
Q: What accomplishments or upcoming projects can you highlight and how do you see your ORU shaping the future?
A: MTEC has hosted the following workshop and conferences, positing the ORU and York as an international leader in manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurship: the 7th International Conference of Tethers in Space in 2024, the 2025 York-Germany Research Collaboration Workshop, the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canaca (NSERC) CREATE national annual conference for six NSERC CREATE project teams, and the 2025 OCI workshop on EV (electric vehicles).
Some typical projects out of MTEC include: robotic 3D bioprinting for healing severe skin burn injuries; precision NanoCT scanning for 3D-printed material characterization; material testing of aircraft engine casing; Intelligent robotic technology with integrated vision and touch for task automation; the SARIT project; and developing and launching CubeSat to monitor permafrost thaw in climate-impacted regions of Canada.
In future, MTEC is devoted to foster academic-industry collaboration as its top priority.
Learn more about Research & Innovation at York University.