Projets novateurs réalisés

Le régime juridique nigérien des investissements étrangers au prisme du développement : une analyse critique et transversale inspirée du régime canadien

Malgré ses ressources naturelles abondantes (uranium, or, pétrole), le Niger, pays d’Afrique subsaharienne reste confronté à un taux d’extrême pauvreté de 52 % et peine à attirer des IDE. Ceux reçus, concentrés dans le secteur extractif, sont très volatiles et peu bénéfiques pour l’économie, un paradoxe dû à un cadre juridique peu contraignant, de faibles exigences de durabilité, des politiques de contenu local inefficaces, des incitations déséquilibrées et un environnement juridique international asymétrique. À l’inverse, le Canada, grâce à des réformes de sa Loi sur l’investissement conciliant attractivité économique et protection des intérêts nationaux, est un exemple d’équilibre entre ouverture et souveraineté. Il se place comme l’un des pays où les IDE contribuent le plus au développement économique. Malgré les disparités socioéconomiques entre les pays, ce modèle offre des pistes d’inspiration pertinentes pour le Niger. Il en est de même du Brésil, 1er destinataire des IDE en Amérique latine. Acteur clé de la facilitation des investissements à l’OMC, le Brésil est un exemple emblématique incontournable pour la recherche sur les IDE. Le projet propose une analyse critique du régime nigérien des IDE, inspirée de ces cadres et vise à identifier les meilleures pratiques pour proposer des réformes contextualisées au Niger.

Investigating the effect of heat stress on the early life microbiome in Japanese dairy calves

Climate change is creating urgent challenges for livestock farming, as rising temperatures and more frequent heat waves reduce animal health, productivity, and welfare. Young calves are particularly vulnerable because their immune and temperature regulation systems are not fully developed, and their gut microbiome—the community of bacteria, archaea, and viruses that support digestion and health—is still forming. In Japan, temperature–humidity index levels regularly exceed calf comfort thresholds during the summer months, potentially leading to reduced growth, greater disease incidence, and reduced long-term performance. Similar threats are emerging in Canada, highlighted by increased frequency of “heat domes,” which cause unprecedented losses in dairy herds. This project will study how heat stress affects the developing gut microbiome communities of pre-weaned calves, focusing on the rumen and large intestine. Using novel “omics” technologies, the research will explore the disruption of early life microbiome development under heat stress and how these changes may affect calf growth, immunity, and resilience. The results will inform management strategies for heat-stressed calves, such as probiotics, microbial modulation, or phage-based strategies. Outcomes will support improvements in calf management in Japan, provide critical information for the Canadian dairy industry, and contribute to building climate-resilient dairy production systems worldwide.

Le Web Sémantique pour la modélisation et l’enrichissement des contenus dans DITA – Year two

IXIASOFT, notre partenaire, utilise le standard DITA, basé sur XML, pour la rédaction de la documentation technique
et l’organisation d’une information structurée orientée sujet. DITA encourage la rédaction du contenu sous forme des
topics indépendants. Les techniques du web sémantique offre la possibilité de faire des liens entre les topics et les
documents pour faciliter l’interopérabilité sémantique. En plus, il offre la possibilité de vérifier la consistance et la
cohérence des informations lors de la création d’un document ou d’une mise à jour.
Devant la grande quantité de documents XML stockés, les techniques du web sémantique aident notre partenaire à
dépasser les limites du langage XML, qui n’offre aucun moyen pour approcher la sémantique de données, et avoir une
meilleure représentation de la connaissance en reliant l’ensemble des concepts décrivant les documents afin
d’améliorer la recherche qui est un problème partiellement résolu par DITACMS basé principalement sur les métadonnées.

Endovation

This project focuses on extending Neuraura’s LoOoP neurostimulation platform to address the unmet needs of individuals with endometriosis—a chronic, debilitating condition affecting 1 in 10 individuals with a uterus. While TENS therapy is already used for symptom relief, Neuraura is exploring its potential to influence tissue behavior and possibly slow or reverse lesion growth. To create a market-ready, inclusive, and privacy-conscious solution, the team will deliver four strategic prototypes beyond the current PCOS scope: a comprehensive business plan; an adapted MyLoOoP app tailored to endometriosis; a severity grading algorithm to enable personalized, predictive therapy; and a trusted LLM-based chatbot, AskBetsy, built on a curated repository of peer-reviewed literature and clinical guidelines. These efforts will help transform LoOoP into a precision health platform that promotes both clinical efficacy and user empowerment.

SharpNexus AI Tools and Product Development

SharpNexus is a Canadian AI consulting firm that enables organizations to achieve digital transformation, uncover efficiencies, and generate new value through artificial intelligence. The company applies a broad range of AI technologies—including open-source models, proprietary frameworks, and third-party services—to address diverse business needs, ranging from automation and analytics to customer engagement and decision support. Solutions are tailored at a high level to each client’s unique requirements and architecture, ensuring strategic use of AI for productivity, innovation, and sustainable growth across industries.

Automated RFP Research

Hivelighter is a SaaS provider specializing in personalized and perspective-based knowledge discovery and knowledge management. Hivelighter helps businesses in knowledge intensive industries (marketing, consultancies, law firms, educational organizations, etc.) preserve human intelligence at the core of their competitive advantage. The current project explores “task-tuned” customisation for organizations. The task being tackled in this case is: RFP response research for creative marketing agencies.

Le Web Sémantique pour la modélisation et l’enrichissement des contenus dans DITA

IXIASOFT, notre partenaire, utilise le standard DITA, basé sur XML, pour la rédaction de la documentation technique
et l’organisation d’une information structurée orientée sujet. DITA encourage la rédaction du contenu sous forme des
topics indépendants. Les techniques du web sémantique offre la possibilité de faire des liens entre les topics et les
documents pour faciliter l’interopérabilité sémantique. En plus, il offre la possibilité de vérifier la consistance et la
cohérence des informations lors de la création d’un document ou d’une mise à jour.
Devant la grande quantité de documents XML stockés, les techniques du web sémantique aident notre partenaire à
dépasser les limites du langage XML, qui n’offre aucun moyen pour approcher la sémantique de données, et avoir une
meilleure représentation de la connaissance en reliant l’ensemble des concepts décrivant les documents afin
d’améliorer la recherche qui est un problème partiellement résolu par DITACMS basé principalement sur les métadonnées.

DBSCAN Graph Clustering

Making use of the ever-growing amount of data available is a vital opportunity for many industries and research labs, both in Canada and the rest of the world. The initial exploratory data analysis phase is when many of the hypotheses and our intuitive understanding of a data set occurs. Thus, it is essential that the methods used during this phase accurately reflect the data, and avoid making any extreme or exaggerated assumptions. In this research project, we propose to develop a clustering algorithm for graph data that can be used for exploratory analysis, based on the popular DBSCAN clustering algorithm for vector data. The project continues a long and fruitful collaboration on the topic of clustering for graphs, and will result in an open source software implementation of the developed algorithm and a report in a leading scientific journal.

Enhancing TMJ Disorder Diagnosis via AI-Assisted Segmentation

Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMD) is an umbrella term for diseases that affect the jaw. It is a common but often underdiagnosed condition that can cause significant jaw pain, limited movement, and long-term oral health issues. Accurate diagnosis relies heavily on the precise identification of tiny jaw structures in medical imaging, a task that remains challenging due to anatomical complexity and variability.

This project builds on our previous research and aims to advance the diagnosis of TMD using AI-assisted imaging. By combining a large and diverse dataset from radiology centers across Edmonton, with recent deep learning architectures, we aim to develop and AI model that is accurate, clinically relevant and useful in the identification of TMD.

We aim to create a diagnostic tool that can seamlessly integrate into clinical workflows, helping oral health professionals diagnose TMJ disorders with greater confidence and efficiency. This work represents a significant step toward modernizing TMD diagnostics, reducing diagnostic delays, and ultimately improving patient care through the power of artificial intelligence.

Marketing and Business Development Coordinator

The project will help the Institute of Innovation and Advanced Learning (IIAL) grow the reach and adoption of the Whole-Chain International Standard (WCIS-2025) and its professional designation, Certified Supply Chain Integrity Professional (CSCIP). WCIS is a global framework that helps organizations improve supply chain integrity, transparency, and sustainability. The intern, Rocio, will create targeted marketing materials, identify and connect with potential partners, and design strategies to clearly explain the benefits of WCIS to different industries. By the end of the project, IIAL will have a set of professional tools, outreach plans, and connections that will make it easier to bring more organizations into the WCIS program, helping IIAL expand its impact in Canada and internationally.

PQC Hybrid Certificates Benchmarking

With the rise of powerful new quantum computers, the digital locks we currently use to protect our online information, like banking details and private messages, could soon be broken. Systems like RSA and ECDSA, which are common today, might not stand a chance against quantum attacks. To stay ahead of the game, experts at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have chosen new types of digital locks, known as “post-quantum” algorithms. Names like CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Falcon, and SPHINCS+ may sound futuristic—and they are—but they’re also much bulkier than the old systems. This makes them harder to plug into the digital infrastructure we already use, especially the X.509 certificates that help secure websites.

One proposed solution is to use hybrid certificates, which mix old and new security systems, sort of like wearing both a seatbelt and an airbag for added protection during the transition. While many versions of hybrid certificates have been suggested, no one has really tested them side by side to see how they perform or how they might affect things like secure website connections.

High-Affinity Selective DNA Intercalators (HASDI): A novel approach to interfere with the transcriptional activity of disease-causing transcription factors

Cancer is a complex disease that involves multiple changes in normal cell biology, all of them leading to increased and abnormal cell replication. Depending on the tissue type, this uncontrolled tissue growth ultimately causes organ malfunction and a wide variety of signs and symptoms which, all together, indicate a pathological state which needs to be addressed. Consequently, to treat cancer effectively with drug molecules, these compounds need to be as potent and selective as possible. Our grant application aims to study the use of novel and unconventional computer-based approaches that simulate the interaction of human DNA with a select group of disease-causing proteins abnormally expressed by cancer cells. We will then use this theoretical framework to determine the chemical features needed in drugs to interfere with (and inhibit) pathological processes associated with cancer.