Collaboration: a catalyst for action
The collaboration between the entities of the Integrated Innovation Chain has a number of significant advantages:
- A faster pace of technological development: By integrating state-of-the-art research platforms and equipment, the chain enables researchers and companies to shorten the development time for their innovations. This makes it easier to progress more quickly from innovative ideas to functional prototypes and market-ready end products.
- Technology transfer: As a result of the close links between university research and industry, the technologies that are developed within the chain can be transferred more readily to the industry, since they are designed and developed in line with industrial processes and needs, and thus facilitate the commercialization of these inventions.
- Developing and training highly skilled talent: Each year, the chain trains students and scientists in cutting-edge fields such as microelectronics, quantum technologies and artificial intelligence, generating a highly qualified workforce. These new talents contribute specialized skills to the local and international workforce.
- Stimulating both the local and national economy: By attracting major industrial investment and fostering the creation of high-tech start-ups, the chain is strengthening Quebec’s and Canada’s innovation ecosystem. It also helps to secure the region’s position as a global innovation hub in a number of key sectors.
- Cross-disciplinary collaboration and open innovation: The chain enables collaboration across a range of scientific fields (quantum, nanotechnology, photonics), leading to new ideas and allowing solutions to complex problems to be explored in a more global way. It also acts as an open innovation platform, where industry, scientists and students are working together on genuine industry projects.
- Boosting promising fields: By leveraging cutting-edge technologies, the chain is helping to propel the development of key fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and quantum technologies, and thereby addressing tomorrow’s challenges in digital technology, innovative manufacturing and IT sciences.
TANGIBLE RESULTS
The Integrated Innovation Chain has several projects underway that illustrate its impact and its scope in both the technological and industrial fields:
- Collaborative R&D projects: The chain has initiated about a dozen high-level industrial research projects, spanning a wide array of areas such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), integrated photonics and advanced technologies for complex chip assembly. All of these projects contribute to technology transfer and industrial innovation.
- Industrial Partnerships: The chain works with nearly 500 partner organizations, including world-leading companies such as IBM Canada and Teledyne MEMS, as well as emerging innovative start-ups such as Boréas Technologies. These partnerships have led to significant breakthroughs in areas like MEMS and integrated photonics.
- Developing highly qualified professionals: Each year, over 100 students are being trained within the chain, acquiring highly sought-after skills in microelectronics and quantum technologies. The training provides a valuable response to the growing need for highly-skilled employees in these cutting-edge areas.
- Major investments: Since 2010, the chain has received more than $1.5 billion in funding to develop technological solutions in the area of artificial intelligence and quantum intelligence. More than 60% of this funding comes from industrial partners, highlighting the trust and commitment shown by the private sector towards this initiative.
Quebec’s government has acknowledged the outstanding power of disruptive technologies within the integrated innovation chain by appointing Bromont and Sherbrooke as the first innovation zones, respectively in digital and quantum technologies.
