Innovative Projects Realized

Développement d’un LLM capable de générer automatiquement du texte sous contraintes à des fin d’utilisation en orthophonie

La mission de PhonIA est d’aider les écoles, les orthopédagogues, les orthophonistes et les enseignants à mieux accompagner les élèves présentant des difficultés d’apprentissage. PhonIA a donc développé des outils automatisés de dépistage, d’évaluation et de suivi des difficultés d’apprentissage disponibles via une plateforme numérique. Ces outils permettent d’optimiser et d’améliorer les services professionnels. Les tâches fastidieuses comme: la
retranscription phonétique; l’analyse des erreurs; le suivi des performances; la formulation de recommandations sous forme de rapport sont ainsi simplifiées ce qui permet aux professionnels de se consacrer à des tâches nécessitant leur expertise et à haute valeur ajoutée. En plus de ces outils, PhonIA développe aussi des outils permettant la génération d’activités d’intervention spécifiques et individualisées sur la base des besoins identifiés et documentés grâce à ses outils d’aide à la décision pédagogique et clinique. Dans le futur, PhonIA planifie d’adapter son outil à divers cas d’usage dans le domaine de la cognition, du langage, de la parole, de la phonation, de la communication et des apprentissages.

Control of the emission properties of a miniature laser with nanostructured thin films

This project aims to integrate nanostructured thin films directly onto luminescent materials to obtain a miniature single-mode laser source emitting over a narrow frequency band at higher power than other existing miniature laser device technologies can achieve. The ability to operate in single mode relies on the concepts of exceptional points in polarization space and twisted-mode operation, which eliminate dual polarization and multiple longitudinal mode emission, respectively. The key to achieving this is to produce a controlled anisotropic optical response of laser mirrors at normal incidence by creating a diffraction grating in a multilayer Bragg mirror using nanofabrication techniques. The proposed participating institute offers fabrication capabilities that complement the expertise available at the Université de Moncton for laser experiments. This project will mark an important step towards the development of a frequency-agile continuous wave laser, whose new operating principle could disrupt existing paradigms involving the design of frequency-modulated continuous wave lasers for remote sensing applications, as much higher output powers would be achievable with a simpler laser architecture.

Structurer le changement : vers un cadre d’implantation de la plateforme FLOW

Ce projet vise à soutenir l’implantation d’une technologie d’intelligence artificielle développée par Flow Factor, utilisée dans le domaine de la santé mentale pour automatiser certaines tâches administratives et cliniques. Dans un contexte aussi sensible que celui de la relation d’aide, l’introduction de nouvelles technologies peut susciter des préoccupations ou des résistances. Le projet consistera donc à mieux comprendre les réactions des équipes cliniques face à ce changement, afin de co-construire, avec les parties prenantes, une démarche d’accompagnement adaptée à leurs besoins. Cette initiative permettra à Flow Impact, la branche consultation de l’entreprise, de renforcer son offre en structurant une approche plus humaine, efficace et transférable de gestion du changement. En favorisant une transition mieux acceptée par les professionnels, ce projet contribuera aussi à améliorer la qualité des soins offerts aux clients.

Assistant.e de recherche aux études sectorielles en innovation

Premièrement, développer une compréhension suffisante des secteurs de l’édition de logiciel ainsi que de la finance et l’assurance afin d’y identifier les forces et faiblesses en matière de productivité et d’impact sociétal ainsi que les écarts avec d’autres juridictions. Deuxièmement, être capable d’identifier au sein de chaque secteur comment l’investissement et l’innovation peuvent y améliorer la productivité et l’impact sociétal.

Camera data collection and modelling in CEA

Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) is moving towards innovative, remote monitoring instrumentation and artificial intelligence solutions that can predict and detect physiological plant characteristics that will improve crop yield. Creating a reliable plant health monitoring system is critical to oversee plant health, track growth rates/yield, and identify diseases, coupled with prevention strategies that safeguard crop integrity until harvest. In parallel, a surge of interest in food production in the aerospace sector has propelled innovative approaches to CEA for extended missions in space or on the Moon’s surface, including remote plant monitoring that will ensure robust crop production, mitigate plant disease spread and prevent contamination of food crops with human food-borne pathogens. The objective of this study is to design, build and test a camera system (modified and unmodified cameras) that will be installed in a growth chamber for a lunar agricultural module to evaluate and remotely monitor plant health and environmental conditions. After building the camera system, it will be tested using different plant species (oats, barley, canola, wild tobacco, medicinal plants, and others). These plants will be tested in situ to monitor plant growth and plant architecture. The collected data will be linked to develop an environmental plant growth model.

L2M – Radiant Fluidics

Radiant Fluidics is a Canadian startup working to transform how new cancer therapies are developed by creating automation tools for radiopharmaceutical research. Radiopharmaceuticals are special drugs that combine radioactive materials with targeting compounds to diagnose or treat cancer at the cellular level. However, developing these drugs is currently slow, expensive, and sometimes unsafe due to the limitations of available equipment.

Most research in this space is still done manually, which increases radiation exposure to scientists and limits how often and how much they can safely produce. Alternatively, clinical-grade automation systems can be used to mitigate radiation exposure; however, they are too rigid and expensive for early-stage research. As a result, scientists face a difficult trade-off between flexibility and safety, slowing innovation and delaying access to potentially life-saving treatments.

Radiant Fluidics is addressing this problem with a modular and flexible automation platform designed specifically for research and development. Radiant Fluidics’ system gives researchers more control, improves safety, and allows for faster testing and iteration of new processes.

This internship project will support Radiant Fluidics as it moves from prototype development to early commercialization. The intern will contribute to several core areas: helping the team refine its market strategy, building tools for stakeholder engagement, creating communication and brand materials, and identifying funding and partnership opportunities.

By contributing to the company’s growth and commercialization strategy, this project will help speed up the development of next-generation radiopharmaceuticals and support Canada’s leadership in medical innovation.

Envisioning Community-Driven Technology-Enabled Pathways for Mental Wellness

This project builds on a multi-year university–community partnership with the Métis Community Services Society of BC (MCSBC). It is grounded in a shared commitment to work together to foster community-led solutions to local mental health and wellness priorities. This project will bring people together for reciprocal knowledge sharing about Indigenous-led technology-enabled pathways to mental wellness through Elder-facilitated sharing circles, art-based activities, the creation of a digital storybook, and hands-on exploration of selected technologies. These activities are designed to spark reflection, dialogue, and creativity around what culturally safe, technology-enabled mental wellness pathways could look like. Insights will support MCSBC in developing innovative community-based programming and guide future research focused on co-creating culturally grounded, technology-enabled mental wellness pathways.

Smarter Imaging for Everyone: Adapting AI-Based Diffusion MRI Analysis to Low-Field Scanners

This project tackles a major challenge in modern brain imaging: advanced techniques like diffusion MRI and tractography are powerful tools for studying conditions such as multiple sclerosis, dementia, and brain cancer, but they rely on expensive, high-resolution scanners that are often unavailable in routine clinical settings—especially in underserved or rural communities. These methods also struggle with lower-quality data, making them difficult to use outside of specialized research centers. To overcome this, the project will develop new AI-powered tools that can accurately analyze brain connections even from fast, low-cost MRI scans. By simulating real-world clinical conditions and leveraging state-of-the-art machine learning, this work aims to bring reliable, high-quality brain imaging within reach of more hospitals and patients, helping improve diagnosis and care for neurodegenerative diseases across Canada and beyond.

Development of multimodality imaging and advanced AI/ML algorithms for point-of-care and drug discovery applications

The proposed international research collaboration project aims to develop accurate and efficient image processing algorithms for advanced imaging instrumentation technologies. The overarching goal of the project is towards fully automated microscopy technologies with many strategically important applications for both DGIST (Korea) and McMaster (Canada) such as point-of-care diagnosis in remote communities and drug discovery. The internship will allow two Canadian graduate students to develop core skills in image processing algorithms development as well as establishing their own professional networks.

An economic evaluation of sulfonylurea medication, hypoglycemic episodes and falls in older adults with type 2 diabetes

Drug use in older persons is a major public health concern. Even though therapeutic drugs are beneficial for patients’ health in terms of survival or quality of life, patients aged >65 years have a greater risk of developing drug-related complications. Such complications may be fatal because of the high frequency of both multiple pathologies and polypharmacy in these patients, who consume a major proportion of healthcare resources. The present work aims to evaluate the impact of treatment with a widely used antidiabetic drug (sulfonylureas) in older diabetic patients on avoidable hospitalizations for hypoglycemia, falls, and fractures. This economic study will be
conducted using data from the diabetes-specific Quebec Integrated Chronic Disease Surveillance System database. For Merck Canada Inc, the present work will play a key role in helping evolve research in the area of pharmacogeriatrics related to diabetes in Canada.

Renfrew Paramedics Minimum Data Set

In collaboration with the Provincial Community Paramedicine Program at Ontario Health, Renfrew County Paramedics is leading the development of a Minimum Data Set (MDS) in an effort to improve CP integration with Ontario Health Teams. This project will focus on the development of a robust data governance framework that includes the development of core data domains, data definitions, and integrated care classification schemes informed by benchmarking against CP reporting standards and assessments. The outcome of this project will be the development of a draft data dictionary (definition, coding standard, data type, essential/optional, meta-data) that will be communicated to CP programs across the programs through dedicated MDS workshops.

PatchUp Summer Education Student BSI

PatchUp is a web-based resource that offers a smarter, more scalable way to support classrooms by addressing behavioural needs through technology and innovation. Designed to assist students during moments of dysregulation, PatchUp provides interactive emotion regulation activities that can be used independently or alongside support staff, making it a flexible solution across a variety of contexts. In addition to directly supporting students, each interaction with PatchUp provides schools with insights into behavioural patterns and classroom disruptions that often go undocumented. These insights enable more strategic decision-making, enhanced student support, and help guide incoming class complexity teachers, ensuring this new resource is used where it’s needed most.
Our current priority is to deepen our understanding of the complex challenges students and classrooms face, along with the diverse strategies educators use to manage them. This knowledge directly informs both the overall product strategy and the finer details of design and implementation. Gathering meaningful insights requires collaboration with an experienced educator—particularly someone who has managed real classroom disruptions, ensuring the product remains grounded in real-world needs and is truly effective in practice. Therefore, addressing this problem requires someone with direct classroom experience and who understands the realities of teaching.