6 Years of Research Excellence from UofT

For six years, the University of Toronto Engineering Research Conference (UTERC) has brought together graduate students, researchers, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals to celebrate the ideas shaping the future of engineering.

Six Years of Graduate Research

First established in 2021, UTERC was created to give graduate engineering students a dedicated platform to share their work beyond their individual laboratories, research groups, and departments. Since then, the conference has grown into an annual tradition within the U of T Engineering graduate community.

Over the years, UTERC has evolved alongside the research community it represents. Collective Innovation in 2024 emphasized collaboration and community-building across engineering disciplines, while Riding the Wave of Innovation in 2025 celebrated emerging technologies, interdisciplinary research, and forward-thinking solutions. The conference has also expanded its programming to include research workshops, industry and alumni engagement, keynote speakers, poster competitions, and parallel oral presentation sessions.

Throughout that evolution, UTERC’s purpose has remained the same: to make graduate research more visible, accessible, and connected.

UTERC 2026: Erasing Boundaries

Now entering its 6th annual edition, UTERC returns on August 21, 2026, with the theme Erasing Boundaries.

This year’s theme challenges researchers to consider how their work breaks down boundaries—between disciplines, between research and real-world application, and between engineering innovation and the people and communities it ultimately serves.

UTERC 2026 will feature keynote talks, networking opportunities, oral presentations, and poster presentations across four research streams:

• Intelligent Systems and Data
• Health and Biomedical Engineering
• Sustainable Solutions and Engineering Education
• Advanced Manufacturing and Robotics

From an emerging annual conference to a six-year tradition, UTERC continues to provide a space where graduate students can share their research, discover work beyond their own disciplines, build new connections, and celebrate the breadth of innovation across U of T Engineering.