2020 Innovation Award

Presented by Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie

Presented by Fondation canadienne pour l’innovation and Fonds de recherche du Québec

Sig.num Pre-emptive Healthcare en partenariat avec École de technologie supérieure et Université Concordia

This partnership project aims to advance R&D for the commercialization of a non-contact capacitive electrocardiogram (ECG) system. This system automatically acquires ECGs without direct skin contact and without requiring a technician to apply electrodes. In its most advanced form, it could be used in telemedicine for transferring cardiac data from a patient to a remote physician. Substantial savings in equipment and personnel are possible since traditional electrodes are not recyclable. The patented technology on which this partnership is based consists of reusable capacitive sensors that can be integrated as arrays into chair backs or mattresses in clinics, hospitals, or senior living facilities. The developed concept would allow for faster, preventative detection of cardiac pathologies while reducing the risk of contamination—a crucial aspect highlighted during the current pandemic. Ultimately, it would be possible to integrate the sensors into traditional mattresses for non-intrusive, long-term monitoring of at-risk individuals.

Produits forestiers Résolu en partenariat avec FPInnovations et Performance BioFilaments

Resolute is currently building a commercial facility at its Kénogami paper mill in the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region dedicated to the production of cellulose filaments, a new sustainable biomaterial derived from wood fiber. Cellulose filaments (CF) are produced from mechanically processed wood fiber without the use of chemicals or enzymes. They are manufactured entirely from renewable sources with a low carbon footprint. The integration of CF enables lighter, more fuel-efficient vehicles, stronger coatings and concrete, and numerous other improvements in high-performance applications and everyday products. It can significantly improve the strength, rheology, thermal stability, and other important properties of concrete, mortars, cements, polymers, composites, foams, filter materials, protective coatings, industrial fluids, and many other advanced materials and chemicals where performance is critical. The CFA franc could even replace petroleum in the manufacture of certain products.

UEAT Technologies en partenariat avec Centre de Recherche Informatique de Montréal (Coup de coeur)

The project aims to develop a restaurant and food recommendation system that leverages order context such as location, time of day, season, and weather. UEAT offers restaurant chains a platform for formatting menus and taking customer orders using personalization. This improves the customer experience, reduces order taking time, highlights popular dishes, and takes customer preferences into account. Contextual information can help personalize the menu, even when a user’s order history is unavailable. The temporal aspect has proven valuable for extracting purchasing trends. There appear to be distinct habits depending on the time of day or even the season, for example, wraps and salads in the morning or soup in winter. The contextual recommendation model is innovative because it allows contextual parameters to be linked to criteria across multiple restaurant domains.

Presented by Université de Montréal and Ciena

Prompt – Camp Découverte Techno

Since 2018, Prompt and 37 partners have joined forces to offer tech day camps to teenagers aged 11 to 16 from 11 different administrative regions. The goal is to encourage girls, particularly those interested in pursuing studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), by engaging with key players in the technology sector. With its very affordable rates, the camp has allowed teens across the province to stay engaged during the pandemic and acquire new digital skills. The camp offers programming activities and visits to local businesses. Approximately 30 tech companies and experts from across Quebec have volunteered their time to offer visits and presentations, including the Chief Scientist of Quebec. This has exposed over 1,000 teenagers to the realities and appeal of STEM careers. The camp leaders are university engineering students who serve as concrete and accessible role models of perseverance for the young participants.

Centre de recherche en infectiologie du CHU de Québec (Coup de coeur)

The CRI at the CHU de Québec is one of the largest infectious disease research centres in Canada. It is a state-of-the-art laboratory where research, teaching, patient care, and entrepreneurship are integrated. It is also a major academic institution, having hosted over 6,000 students for immersion internships and graduate studies. The CRI’s outreach team works to promote science among young people through its Researcher for a Day (C1J) program. The main activity is a unique immersion day offering Grade 11 and 12 students interactive workshops designed to demystify a career in research and spark their interest in science, biotechnology, and entrepreneurship, thereby fostering careers in science. This day is recognized as essential by teachers and guidance counsellors in the Quebec City and Chaudière-Appalaches regions. C1J is also invited to present the profession of scientist or research topics in primary and secondary school classes.

Presented by Mitacs

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Aruba Networks, a division of Hewlett Packard, offers AI-powered cloud platforms for networking. Aruba Instant On is an affordable, high-performance, and secure networking solution. Instant On access points and switches can be installed in minutes and require no technical expertise. Network setup, management, and monitoring can be done from a smartphone and have never been easier. A firewall protects personal information, devices, and the network from online threats. To date, more than 100,000 devices have been sold worldwide. Deployed by more than 20,000 customers using the solution for their businesses, Aruba Instant On has quickly established itself as a must-have solution in the market. The company is also seeing growth in mobile app installations, with nearly 20,000 active installations as of September.

Presented by Fonds de solidarité FTQ

PetalMD

PetalMD uses cutting-edge technologies, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, to offer more user-friendly products to healthcare professionals. The PetalMD platform provides a real-time overview of an organization’s medical services by automating scheduling, ensuring comprehensive coverage for clinical and on-call activities, enabling online patient booking, and offering secure messaging. All of this is achieved through data analytics to improve performance and access to care. In four years, the company has seen a 173% increase in unit sales of platform licenses and an 889% increase in value per unit sold. The number of registered users, including physicians and administrative staff, has grown from 37,000 to 53,000 over the same period, demonstrating the influence and reach of PetalMD’s solutions.

LensVector

LensVector specializes in the development and marketing of liquid crystal lenses for dynamic light control via electronic interfaces. These lenses are used in mobile phone cameras and webcams. They have also shown great potential for ophthalmic devices. The product’s innovation lies in intelligent lighting. It allows for the electronic modification of light properties (size, shape, direction of propagation, etc.) without mechanical movement in commercial, residential, and automotive applications. Currently, changing the shape of light requires moving several large lenses, either by a person on a ladder or using stepper motors. With this technology, any employee or customer can remotely modify the lighting using just a mobile phone. In two years, the customer base has grown from three to more than twenty global lighting leaders who have integrated the lens into their luminaires.

Presented by Université Concordia

Animora

Animora, an animal health products company, has developed a dental gel that provides the company with a significant competitive advantage. In addition to offering a texture that allows for prolonged contact time, multiple administration options, a pleasant taste, and active ingredients against bacteria responsible for periodontal disease, the product is registered with Health Canada. This dental gel is distinguished by its use of cranberry extract, which provides anti-inflammatory effects. The product’s innovation has enabled Animora to quickly acquire B2B and B2C sales and numerous points of sale, but most importantly, to gain the professional endorsement of 100 veterinary clinics. The company experienced a 236% increase in revenue between its first and second year. The clear competitive advantage of Animora’s innovative product has led to contracts with Quebec’s largest pet store chain and a pan-Canadian distributor of veterinary clinics.

Presented by Investissement Québec and Siemens

QSL

QSL is a world-class company specializing in port terminal operations and cargo handling. The company supports its clients’ success by developing innovative, customized solutions to address their specific challenges. This commitment led QSL to undertake a system modernization project. The maritime industry is characterized by numerous unforeseen events due to the inherent risks of the sea, the complexity of intermodal transport (coordinating ship-rail-truck transport), and the wide variety of goods handled. This has resulted in a lack of readily available, turnkey software solutions that meet the industry’s unique needs. To fill this gap, QSL developed Tracking Cargo 3 (TC3), a customized, integrated management software suite that includes a bidding system, a project management and planning solution, an inventory management solution, and an operations management system, all linked to a billing module.

Presented by Regroupements sectoriels de recherche industrielle

Consortium québécois sur la découverte du médicament en partenariat avec Medicago, Université McGill, Université Laval et Merck

As the current situation demonstrates, vaccine development can be a race against time. Funded through the CQDM, this project led to the development of VLPExpress, Medicago’s proprietary platform designed to accelerate the discovery of new vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. VLPExpress enables the production, purification, and screening of hundreds of vaccine antigens presented as virus-like particles (VLPs) in just a few days. Non-infectious, VLPs mimic the conformation of native viruses, offering a safe and effective way to induce a strong and sustained immune response. Leveraging plant-based production, VLPExpress is a vaccine discovery tool that is ten times faster than traditional methods. This technology has proven itself on several occasions, notably during the current COVID-19 pandemic, when SARS-CoV-2-mimicking VLPs were produced in just 20 days. Developed using this platform, Medicago will soon offer its first commercially available product, a vaccine against seasonal influenza.

Consortium de recherche et d’innovation en transformation métallique en partenariat avec INRS, Sigma DevTech et ECO2 Magnesia (Coup de coeur)

The ECO2 project aims to produce and market 60,000 tonnes per year of high-purity magnesium oxide (MgO) while simultaneously decontaminating abandoned mine tailings and reducing CO2 emissions. The ECO2 technology, proposed by INRS and its partners, enables a reduction of 160,000 tonnes of CO2 per year compared to the most efficient available process. Indeed, the ECO2 technology uses mine tailings as a raw material, unlike the current process which uses a stable CO2 source, MgCO3, from natural deposits. In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the ECO2 technology uses no hazardous products to extract the MgO and will allow for the decontamination of more than 360,000 tonnes of mine tailings per year. This pilot project aims to demonstrate the technology of the carbonation process in order to enable the establishment in Quebec, by 2022, of a plant producing 60,000 tonnes per year of the world’s first ecological MgO which redefines industry standards.

Presented by Polytechnique Montréal and École de technologie supérieure

Off The Grid – Vélo de Spinning Générant de l’Électricité

At Off The Grid, we believe that the human body is an excellent source of energy. That’s why we launched the company with a clear goal in mind: to reduce the environmental footprint of every workout! We are constantly pushing the boundaries of science and technology, while advocating for the daily use of renewable energy. We are therefore developing a spinning bike that converts energy into electricity. This electricity is then used directly in the building’s grid, reducing energy consumption.

Presented by Mitacs

• AYE3D
• Immune Biosolutions 
• NordiaSoft