Montreal, QC
Mitacs, in partnership with Ericsson, welcomes 80 research interns to work within the Global Artificial Intelligence Accelerator (GAIA) in Montreal, a hub focusing on research and development in artificial intelligence and machine learning. The Canadian hub connects to three others in a global network spanning India, Sweden, and the United States (California).Some of the most widely used AI applications – including better and faster predictions, speech and image recognition – are the results of research breakthroughs made in the last ten years. This five-year agreement will assist in the recruitment of high-calibre qualified graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and bring together research collaborations between academia and industry to further innovation in the field of AI, and specifically in machine and deep learning.
Over the next three years, graduate student interns from Canadian universities — including, Concordia University, École de technologie supérieure, McGill University, Dalhousie University, University of Toronto, University of Regina, University of Saskatchewan and Université de Moncton — will use artificial intelligence and machine-learning technologies to create data-driven, intelligent, and robust systems, including a 5G network in Canada. Opportunities for internships with additional universities across the country are under consideration. Research projects focusing on data science, engineering, AI/machine learning, and software development are commencing.
Since 2012, Mitacs has leveraged its Canada-wide university partnerships to connect almost 100 Canadian graduate students with innovative research opportunities at Ericsson. Mitacs’s platform, which has a long history of supporting AI in Canada, supports students in applying their specialized expertise to business challenges while connecting highly skilled personnel with companies like Ericsson.
Ericsson is one of the founding members of ENCQOR, Evolution of Networked Services through a Corridor in Québec and Ontario for Research and Innovation, a transformational Canada-Quebec-Ontario partnership focused on research and innovation in the field of 5G disruptive technologies, on adoption initiatives and system uses. ENCQOR established the first Canadian pre-commercial corridor of 5G digital infrastructure.
Quotes:
Eric Bosco, Chief Business Development Officer, Mitacs
“We’re proud to facilitate the next generation of research talent partnering with industry and advancing the artificial intelligence ecosystem. The GAIA partnership and the Ericsson hub in Montreal strategically align deep-learning experts to further AI research and development.”
Dr. Nimish Radia, Head of Global AI Accelerator (GAIA), North America
“Montreal and Canada have very strong and growing AI/ML ecosystem. GAIA is excited about the collaboration with MITACS to engage with Canadian academia to address the challenges and opportunities of the existing networks and of the 5G and IoT in coming years using AI/ML. We are looking forward to mentoring and growing the AI/ML talent in Canada with MITACS.”
Guy LeBlanc, President and CEO of Investissement Québec
“Recent investments to make Montréal a global artificial intelligence hub are already paying big dividends. Take for example the announcement of a first group of 80 graduate students from Canadian universities who are joining the Global Artificial Intelligence Accelerator (GAIA), recently unveiled in Montréal by Ericsson. The company’s commitment to facilitating and rounding out the graduate students’ AI education is another step toward our goal of building an integrated ecosystem that showcases our growing expertise in AI,” said Guy LeBlanc, President and CEO of Investissement Québec.
Stéphane Paquet, Vice President, Foreign Investments and International Organizations of Montréal International
“Greater Montréal is known around the world as a major AI hub. In the past two years, Montréal International has supported over 30 AI projects, with investments totaling $500 million. This strategic partnership between Mitacs and Ericsson, which we have supported for a number of years, will help advance AI expertise in Montréal and meet the growing demand of highly skilled workers.”
About Mitacs:
Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from the best academic institutions at home and around the world.
Working with 70+ universities, thousands of companies, and both federal and provincial governments, Mitacs builds partnerships that support industrial and social innovation in Canada.
Mitacs is funded by the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec, along with the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of Manitoba, the Government of New Brunswick, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Government of Nova Scotia, the Government of Ontario, the Government of Prince Edward Island, and the Government of Saskatchewan.
Links:
For information about Mitacs and our programs, see mitacs.ca/newsroom.
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