Quebec innovation: From local impact to global reach

Original article by Chloé-Anne Touma in CScience, translated by Mitacs.

Quebec is emerging as a dynamic, diversified hub for innovation, supported by its research institutions, businesses, and government. What are Quebec’s innovative strengths in the technology sector, and how can Mitacs help enhance them to strengthen the province’s international position?

In an interview with CScience and LES CONNECTEURS, Mitacs’s CEO Stephen Lucas, Minister Christine Fréchette, and Chief Innovation Officer Luc Sirois shared insights into Quebec’s thriving innovation ecosystem. They highlighted the key ingredients of its success while also pointing out the challenges that can be transformed into opportunities.

Mitacs: driving innovation within an ecosystem of talent

Quebec’s innovation ecosystem thrives on a unique combination of factors. The province is home to a wide variety of companies, including large Quebec-based flagships, multinational enterprises with R&D operations and innovation centres, start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises. Stephen Lucas notes that this mix creates a collaborative, growth-oriented environment.

As CEO, he leads Mitacs in connecting these companies with highly qualified talent to tackle real-world challenges and meet industry needs.

Between 2018-2019 and 2024-2025 alone, Mitacs’s impact on Quebec’s innovation ecosystem amounted to $390 million in R&D investments.

“Several business sectors are showing particular strength. Established fields such as aerospace, defence and security (including cybersecurity), as well as life sciences and biomanufacturing, continue to thrive and represent important and sustained areas of interest,” emphasized Mitacs’s CEO.

Quebec also excels thanks to its “considerable strengths and emerging companies” in a number of cutting-edge fields like artificial intelligence (AI). Montreal, in particular, is an “emerging hub” for other fast-growing technological sectors, including video games and quantum technologies.

“The secret to Mitacs’s success lies in its ability to bring together all […] businesses, non-profit organizations […] academic partners and support students,” pointed out Stephen Lucas, CEO of Mitacs

One of the pillars of the Quebec ecosystem is its “solid set of post-secondary institutions,” which includes universities, colleges, polytechnics and CEGEPs. These establishments, along with publicly supported entities like Mila (Institut québécois d’intelligence artificielle), are essential to the vitality of these ecosystems. According to Lucas, the concentration of strong companies in key sectors, coupled with a solid academic network makes up “all the critical ingredients and strengths of Quebec’s innovation ecosystem.”

Mitacs plays a central role in promoting innovation by encouraging collaboration between companies that identify a specific need and commit to investing in research and innovation, as well as researchers from post-secondary institutions. The organization actively supports students at every level, including bachelor’s, master’s and post-doctoral programs. “The secret to Mitacs’s success,” explained Lucas, “lies in its ability to bring together all these key forces in the Quebec ecosystem: businesses, non-profit organizations and academic partners, while also supporting students.”

Between 2018-2019 and 2024-2025, the Canadian NFP supported over 13,000 interns from post-secondary institutions across Quebec. Access to this highly skilled talent pool helps Quebec companies innovate faster, adapt to technological change and address labour shortages in key sectors.

Highlights

• Between 2018-2019 and 2024-2025, Mitacs supported 13,000+ interns from post-secondary institutions across Quebec
• In 2024-2025 alone, Mitacs worked with 1,000+ partner organizations in Quebec
• Mitacs’s impact on Quebec from 2018-2019 and 2024-2025 included $390 million in R&D investments, 3,400+ participating companies and 10,500+ innovative projects (cumulative data)
• Over a three-year period, Mitacs contributed to an 11% increase in productivity, a 9% rise in revenue and a 16% boost in sales (Source: Statistics Canada).

Mitacs, together with Quebec and Canada, aims to build a strong and resilient economy capable of competing with and beating the best in the world. To achieve this goal, “it’s crucial to attract and retain the world’s best talent and foster innovative ideas,” said its CEO.

In this respect, Mitacs is dedicated to supporting students in Canada, including international students, who represent 25% to 30% of its interns, and who, for the most part, “tend to remain in the provinces where they studied and work with the companies where they interned,” said Mitacs’s CEO. Additionally, the organization actively supports Canadian researchers and students in collaborating with international partners and attracts thousands of foreign students each year for internships in Canada, creating a valuable “talent pool.”

Mitacs places particular emphasis on inclusion, as outlined in its Inclusive Innovation Action Plan. This plan focuses on supporting students from “diverse backgrounds, perspectives and orientations,” fostering a “positive environment for learning and development.” Programs like Indigenous Pathways specifically support Indigenous Canadians, who represent an “incredible talent pool.”

Growth challenges and opportunities, especially in AI and quantum computing

Despite Quebec’s strengths, challenges still exist, particularly in accessing capital to support research and marketing. Initiatives like Ax.c, a major new innovation hub in Montreal’s business district aim to tackle this issue. The Mitacs team is excited to be part of this hub alongside many other key players in Quebec’s innovation landscape. This hub is designed to meet this challenge by “encouraging collaboration among various groups, including the private sector, the innovation ecosystem, academic partners, young talent, students and entrepreneurs,” stressed Stephen Lucas. This physical environment creates the “critical mass and energy” needed to accelerate innovation.

This view was shared by Quebec’s Chief Innovation Officer, Luc Sirois, who spoke to LES CONNECTEURS in June. He noted that such a concentration of organizations in one location is rare, if not unparallelled, globally, likening Ax.c to Station F in Paris. However, he stressed that true success stems less from architecture and design than from the community itself and the people who bring the space to life, much like the impact seen at Maison Notman.

One major opportunity lies in fostering convergence and interdisciplinary work. AI is a prime example of this, being both a sector in itself and a technology applicable to “virtually every aspect of business and society.” Similarly, quantum computing is a “platform technology,” offering advances in computing, communication and sensing with wide-reaching applications across various fields, from human health and agriculture to forestry.

Following the highly promising launch of its quantum communication testbed, Numana announced its partnership with Nokia and Honeywell last March. Their ambassadors spoke to LES CONNECTEURS about the company’s strengths. Another guest in attendance, Christine Fréchette, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, was quick to point out the already observable and expected spin-offs of this project, which was supported by Mitacs. She described it as the “development of an innovative, precedent-setting platform for testing quantum technologies under very realistic conditions.” However, she also noted the challenge of “raising awareness of this platform and the new possibilities it offers.” She recalled that, “three years ago, Quebec created a Quantum Innovation Zone in Sherbrooke. This is one of Quebec’s core strengths and we must continue to innovate if we want to maintain our strategic positioning on the international stage. That’s exactly what we’re doing today, with this test bench.”

Lucas also stressed the need to improve the adoption rate of existing technologies. Canadian businesses lag significantly behind competitors such as the US, France and the UK in adopting digital technologies and AI, especially among SMEs. Improving adoption is an “economic necessity” to strengthen competitiveness. Mitacs contributes to this effort by helping companies “implement and understand how to use technology.”

For Sirois, the major challenge for Quebec is bridging the gap between academic research, industry and society. Although Quebec universities produce world-class research and attract first-rate experts, marketing remains a weak point. The creation of Axelys, a technology transfer company, reflects a strong desire for improvement. Its goal is to significantly increase results to be on par with those of the top American universities. Sirois stressed that “other nations are way ahead of us in terms of creating new products and services and integrating technologies. We need to transform our products and become technology suppliers everywhere.” The issue of intellectual property protection, especially when it comes to AI was also raised by the Chief Innovation Officer. Quebec and Canada may not have a strong tradition of AI patents, but it’s crucial to protect the way AI systems are put into operation and used. This protection allows for the creation of wealth, which can be used to fund further research and education.

A record of success and a vision for the future

The partnership between Mitacs and the Quebec government has produced tangible results, supporting thousands of interns, most of whom stay in the province and secure well-paying jobs. Companies that have worked with Mitacs have reported gains in productivity, revenue and sales.

These successes have created a solid “platform for addressing emerging fields, further strengthening the economy and helping businesses to start, grow and succeed,” recalled Lucas. Lucas ended on an optimistic note, stating that Quebec’s innovation ecosystem has a “promising future” if government entities, businesses, academic institutions and, above all, students continue to work together. Quebec is clearly making great strides toward solidifying its position as a global leader in innovation.

Mitacs’s programs receive funding from multiple partners across Canada. We thank the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, Research Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, Innovation PEI, the Government of Quebec, the Government of Saskatchewan, and the Government of Yukon for supporting us to empower Canadian innovation. 

Do you have a business challenge that could benefit from a research solution? If so, contact Mitacs today to discuss partnership opportunities: [email protected].