{"id":53603,"date":"2024-12-02T14:55:33","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T14:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/?p=53603"},"modified":"2024-12-02T14:55:33","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T14:55:33","slug":"elevating-quebecs-research-and-innovation-capabilities-through-international-collaboration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.innovationnewsnetwork.com\/elevating-quebecs-research-and-innovation-capabilities-through-international-collaboration\/53603\/","title":{"rendered":"Elevating Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s research and innovation capabilities through international collaboration"},"content":{"rendered":"
Research and innovation has long been at the forefront of Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s economic landscape. Over many years, Qu\u00e9bec has established a scientific research base of international calibre and has built strong relationships with stakeholders in the research and innovation ecosystem across the globe. Qu\u00e9bec is positioning itself as a leader in innovative fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum technologies. In 2024, Canada officially joined the Horizon Europe programme<\/a> under Pillar II, opening up ample opportunity for Qu\u00e9bec to propel its research and development (R&D).<\/p>\n The Innovation Platform<\/em> spoke to Marco Blouin, Director General Science and Partnerships, Minist\u00e8re de l\u2019\u00c9conomie, de l\u2019Innovation et de l\u2019\u00c9nergie, Qu\u00e9bec government to discover more about Qu\u00e9bec\u2019s research and innovation landscape and find out what the new Horizon Europe partnership could do for the province.<\/p>\n We like to think of ourselves as punching above our weight when it comes to science and innovation globally, especially on the research side. Our overall R&D spending is significantly higher than the Canadian average. In terms of academic publications, between 2010 and 2021, the share of joint publications that involve both a Qu\u00e9bec-based researcher and an international partner has grown from 45% to 61% of the total. We maintain two universities in the top 200 of the main international rankings. We also have two university incubators in the top ten of the UBI Global Ranking.<\/p>\n However, because we are relatively small, when it comes to turning this research expertise into innovations, we also need to set some strategic priorities. There are several sectors that are key to our innovation capabilities: aerospace, artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum, life sciences, energy transition and electrification, for example. These are sectors in which our research and innovation is recognised internationally, and where we have an industrial base that can support the transfer of our research into commercial products.<\/p>\n We know that this expertise has value to our partners, and we need to push our ambition further to remain attractive collaborators on the global stage.<\/p>\n We aim to leverage some of these key sectors through strategic initiatives. To give you an example, our government supports the development of innovation zones in some of these key areas, and across our province. For now, we have four of them \u2013 digital technologies, quantum technologies, energy transition, and aerospace \u2013 and there might be more to come. Innovation zones concentrate, within a specific geographic area, our expertise in a particular sector. It brings together researchers, industries, and investors in attractive living environments so that we have a critical mass that allows us to develop our innovation capabilities further in these sectors. Our innovation zones are also meant to serve as a showcase for international partners.<\/p>\n Our geographic position and our identity as a province also have an impact on how we view our contribution to global innovation. I will give you two very different examples to illustrate this.<\/p>\n On technological innovation, because of our location and our networks, we tend to act as a bridge between Europe and North America. For example, in the southern part of the province, close to the US border, we have created our innovation zone on digital technologies, Technum Qu\u00e9bec. The zone notably features the Miqro Innovation collaborative center (C2MI) \u2013 the largest R&D centre in Canada focusing on the manufacturing of electronic systems, including semiconductors. Our investments in this centre and this zone are part of a broader joint commitment between Canada and the US to develop a cross-border innovation corridor for semiconductors. At the same time, though, this digital technology ecosystem is active in the development of partnerships with European collaborators in the quantum and photonics industry \u2013 for example, in the Netherlands. We try to use this bridge-building position between Europe and North America to our advantage.<\/p>\nWhat role can Qu\u00e9bec play in the global innovation landscape?<\/h3>\n