Related news
Discover more stories about Mitacs — and the game-changing innovations driven by students and postdocs.
Montreal, QC — Mitacs, a national innovation organization, and the Plateforme d’innovation numérique et quantique (PINQ²), a non-profit organization exploiting the first Advanced Hybrid Platform in Canada, today announced a new memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore collaboration in advancing Canada’s quantum innovation ecosystem, with a focus on research partnerships, talent development, and commercialization pathways.
The agreement establishes a framework for collaboration on joint initiatives spanning quantum and hybrid computing, thought leadership, and ecosystem development, while leveraging complementary strengths in industry-academic collaboration and applied research.
Through the collaboration, Mitacs and PINQ² will explore opportunities to support pilot initiatives, co-develop insights into quantum adoption among Canadian businesses, and convene partners across academia and industry to advance innovation. The model brings together upstream research capacity and downstream commercial applications, helping organizations access talent, advance R&D, and accelerate adoption of emerging technologies.
Since 2022, Mitacs has supported a growing pipeline of collaborative activity across both academic-led and industry-driven programs in the quantum and advanced computing fields. This includes more than $27 million in funding for hundreds of projects and thousands of internships delivered in partnership with post-secondary institutions, researchers, and more than 150 industry partners.
This agreement reflects a shared commitment to supporting Canada’s long-term economic growth through talent, research, and collaboration in frontier technologies.
Quotes
“Canada’s competitiveness in emerging technologies like quantum depends on our ability to connect top talent with industry needs and translate research into real-world impact. By working with PINQ², we are strengthening the bridge between academia and industry, helping more organizations access the expertise and collaborative opportunities they need to innovate and grow.”
Dr. Stephen Lucas, CEO, Mitacs
“Quantum adoption requires two essential ingredients: access to cutting-edge platforms and the talent to leverage them. By combining the strengths of PINQ² and Mitacs, we are creating a concrete pathway for Canadian organizations to innovate, experiment, and advance both their research projects and commercialization goals ultimately accelerating the transition from quantum potential to real-world impact.”
Marie-Claude Messier, General Manager, PINQ2
About Mitacs
For over 25 years, Mitacs has helped grow the economy and develop the workforce of tomorrow, connecting industry with academia and global partners to solve real-world challenges. We support business-academic research collaboration through internships, co-funded with businesses, for undergraduate to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows.
As a national innovation connector, Mitacs takes a talent-first approach to strengthen innovation capacity and drive global competitiveness. We serve as an essential research-commercialization bridge, accelerating market entry and growth for new products and services.
About PINQ²
PINQ² is a non-profit organization founded by the Université de Sherbrooke and the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie du Québec (Ministry of Economic Development, Innovation and Export Trade). It operates Canada’s first Advanced Hybrid Platform (AHP), seamlessly integrating classical, quantum and hybrid computing.
PINQ²’s mission is to democratize access to cutting-edge infrastructure, reduce innovation risks and bridge the gap between advanced computing potential and practical adoption. The organization supports enterprises, SMEs, startups and universities across Quebec and Canada as an innovation accelerator in priority sectors such as energy, environment, finance, aerospace and defence.
