Manitoba’s emerging innovators take the stage at Falling Walls Lab 2026.
That question will take centre stage at the Falling Walls Lab Manitoba 2026 finale, where emerging researchers, students, entrepreneurs and innovators will pitch bold solutions to some of today’s most pressing challenges.
This year’s Manitoba Lab is hosted by IDEA START at the University of Manitoba, in partnership with the University of Winnipeg and St. Boniface Hospital Research. The event is also supported by Research Manitoba as an event partner and the Bioscience Association of Manitoba (BAM) as a travel partner.
Falling Walls Lab is an international pitch competition inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall. Participants have just three minutes to present their breakthrough idea and answer one powerful question: Which wall will your innovation break? Winners from local labs around the world advance to the global Falling Walls Lab finale in Berlin, Germany, where they join innovators from across disciplines and countries.
For Manitoba, the finale is more than a pitch event. It is a platform to showcase the province’s growing innovation ecosystem and the people working to move ideas from research, lived experience and early concepts into meaningful impact.
Falling Walls Lab gives emerging innovators the opportunity to sharpen their ideas, tell their stories with confidence and connect with people who can help move their work forward,” said Dr. Hans-Joachim Wieden, Associate Vice-President, Partnerships, Knowledge Mobilization and Innovation, University of Manitoba. “By bringing together students, researchers, entrepreneurs, industry partners and community leaders, experiences like this strengthen Manitoba’s innovation ecosystem and help build the partnerships needed to turn breakthrough ideas into real-world impact.”
The 2026 finalists represent universities across the province and bring forward ideas in health innovation, artificial intelligence, advanced diagnostics, engineering, food protection, training, technology and social impact.
Each finalist will present in front of a distinguished jury and a live audience, with the top winner earning the opportunity to represent Manitoba on the international Falling Walls stage in Berlin.
The 2025 Manitoba Lab winner, Luma Clarindo Lopes, advanced with her pitch, "Breaking the Wall of Antibiotic Resistance". Reflecting on the experience, she said Falling Walls Lab helped her strengthen not only her pitch, but also her confidence in sharing research with a wider audience.
“Falling Walls Lab Manitoba gave me the opportunity to communicate my research in a way that was clear, engaging and connected to real-world impact,” said Lopes. “It was an incredible experience to share my work, meet other innovators and be part of a global conversation about breakthrough ideas.”
Guests attending the finale will get a front-row seat to the ideas shaping the future of research, technology, health, sustainability, community impact and entrepreneurship in Manitoba. The evening will also offer opportunities to connect with leaders from universities, industry, government, research organizations and the broader innovation community.
Whether you are a student, researcher, founder, investor, community partner or someone who believes in big ideas, the Falling Walls Lab Manitoba finale is an opportunity to see what happens when innovation meets courage, clarity and three minutes on the clock.
We can't have innovation without community backing us. You are invited to attend Falling Walls Lab 2026 and see firsthand Manitoba’s breakthrough ideas, meet the people who can help move them forward, hear fresh perspectives, support emerging innovators, connect with the province’s research and entrepreneurship community, and experience the energy of an international pitch platform right here in Winnipeg.
At its heart, Falling Walls Lab Manitoba is a reminder that big change often begins with one clear idea, one brave pitch and one wall ready to come down.
What: Falling Walls Lab Manitoba 2026 Finale
When: Wednesday, June 10, 2026, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Smart Park Innovation Hub, University of Manitoba
A special thank you to our organizing partners, the University of Manitoba, University of Winnipeg and St. Boniface Hospital Research, and to our valued partners, Research Manitoba as Event Partner and Bioscience Association of Manitoba as Travel Partner.
For nearly 150 years, UM has transformed lives through groundbreaking research and homegrown innovation. We push the boundaries of knowledge and do the hard work here in Manitoba to move our community and the world forward. With a spirit of determination and discovery, we are shaping a better future for our province and beyond.
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