Innovative Projects Realized

L2M Validate / Qc Winter 2026 / Pharma Matters – Innovative solutions

Pharmaceutical supply chains in North America remain highly dependent on overseas manufacturing. Most critical active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and fine chemicals essential for drug production are imported, making the region vulnerable to disruptions in global supply chains. Our initiative aims to strengthen pharmaceutical independence by developing local, sustainable, and innovative solutions. Our dedicated team of experts focuses on: a) Developing new, safe, eco-friendly, and scalable processes to produce critical APIs locally; b) Supporting the optimization of existing API synthesis routes through advanced technologies such as flow chemistry and process intensification; c) Advancing drug design and development using cutting-edge scientific approaches. By producing APIs domestically, we can reduce reliance on international suppliers, safeguard pharmaceutical production, and enhance national healthcare security. We currently count on scientific expertise and most of the physical infrastructure necessary to begin operations. Through the L2M Validate Program, we aim to strengthen our market knowledge, refine our business model, and secure the financial resources required to acquire equipment and launch the startup.

L2M Validate / Qc Winter 2026 / Smart Parking

Finding available parking in busy urban areas remains a persistent challenge for Canadian drivers, particularly in metropolitan centres such as Montréal, Toronto, and Vancouver. Drivers regularly lose valuable time circling streets in search of parking before medical appointments, business meetings, events, and exams, to name a few. This inefficiency contributes to increased stress levels, financial penalties from contravention tickets, higher fuel consumption, and unnecessary traffic congestion. More critically, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 1 in 5 car accidents occur in parking lots, emphasizing that this issue is not only inconvenient but also a public safety concern. Despite numerous deployed parking applications on the market, most solutions provide only static information and merely assist users in interpreting complex municipal parking signs, leaving the burden of finding an available spot to the driver. There is a clear gap for a smarter, real-time, and more proactive solution.

The partner organization seeks to innovate in this space by building Smart Parking, an intelligent decision platform that automates the parking discovery process by guiding drivers to find, in real time, an available parking spot, rather than merely displaying regulations. The system will display live availability on an interactive city map, guide users to open parking spaces, and provide directions for any post-parking actions to help drivers avoid tickets. It also helps reduce driving time and urban congestion and improves road safety through optimized parking flow. This approach shifts the responsibility from the driver to the platform, offering a tangible and daily benefit to both citizens and municipalities.

The innovation lies in developing an intelligent assistant under the umbrella of the Smart City project while ensuring privacy preservation and full compliance with Canadian security standards.

Preliminary Evaluation of Bonding Polydopamine and Carbon Nanomaterials on The Surface of Fabrics and The Effect on Thermal Conductivity

Intern(s) will help Thermweave develop washable fabrics that move heat away from the body with enhanced thermal conductivity. They’ll develop dip-coating recipes that use tiny carbon-based particles, dip common fabrics (cotton, polyester) in them, and fine-tune steps like time, temperature, and drying. The interns will test how well the fabric moves heat, and how it feels, and how it holds up after laundry cycles. They will also make small trial rolls to gather feedback from early users. This work will give Thermweave data and prototypes to finish a first product, attract partners and customers, and build a made-in-Canada cooling textile line that improves comfort and safety for workers, athletes, and everyday users.

Criminal vs Civil: The Unequal Right to Counsel

This project compares how lawmakers in France, the United States, and Canada have debated and shaped the right to legal counsel in criminal and civil cases from 1953 to the present. By analyzing legislative transcripts, it seeks to understand why France, a country that faces similar constraints, including a shrinking justice budget, nonetheless provides stronger protections for civil legal aid than its North American counterparts. It examines how political language and institutional choices have contributed to these differences. The study will build a new dataset of legislative debates and produce comparative insights into how legal protections evolve over time. Participating institutions will benefit from original cross-national research that deepens understanding of access to justice, strengthens collaboration between Canadian and French researchers, and provides evidence-based recommendations for improving civil legal aid policy in Canada and beyond.

L2M Validate / Qc Winter 2026 / Grow Guard

The integration of machine learning models and the extraction of meaningful data into industrial workflows continues to accelerate, driving innovation and new business opportunities. Leveraging our expertise in mathematical and statistical modeling, we aim to apply these technologies to address critical challenges in agriculture, where up to 40% of crop yields are lost due to suboptimal resource management.
Our vision originated from observing a relatable problem: the loss of household plants, which costs owners both financially and emotionally. We recognized that a customized care program tailored to each plant’s specific conditions could improve survival rates beyond conventional methods. We propose to scale this approach to commercial agriculture. By modeling the unique conditions of individual farms, we will provide customized maintenance programs—including precision irrigation and fertilization—aligned with each crop’s specific requirements.
Our solution will employ digital twin technology to simulate and monitor plant growth within a controlled virtual environment, enabling proactive management. This data-driven approach will transform reactive farming into predictive precision agriculture. By continuously analyzing environmental variables, soil conditions, and plant health indicators, our proposed system will provide actionable insights that optimize resource utilization while minimizing environmental impact and reducing operational costs.

An Inorganic Approach to Molecular Solar Thermal Energy Storage

Our Mitacs application is part of a collaborative program of study to develop the chemistry of molecular solar-thermal energy storage (MOST) materials. For the project, we aim to establish Cu(I) ions as components of MOST materials. The Lescop group (France) has longstanding expertise developing inorganic materials based on Cu(I) wherein the metal ions direct electron rich surfaces to participate in face-to-face stacking in the solid state. The MacGillivray group (Canada) has longstanding experience to direct molecules to undergo [2+2] photodimerizations in the solid state. While many organic systems are recognized as promising for MOST applications, there have been no reports using principles of inorganic chemistry based on Cu(I) to be developed into MOST materials. Cu(I)-based molecular materials are characterized by a variety of radiative relaxation pathways that include phosphorescence. Phosphorescent materials based on Cu(I) can be expected to enhance MOST systems by improving energy retention and release dynamics. The flexible coordination environment of Cu(I) can also allow MOST materials to undergo rare single-crystal-to-single (SCSC) reactions. In these transformations, the integrities (e.g. size, morphology) of crystals are preserved and, therefore, attractive for development of device applications.

rom Quebec Waters to Innovation: Bacterial Adhesins as a Source of Antifouling Solutions

This project studies how aquatic bacteria isolated from Quebec’s aquatic environments attach to underwater surfaces and form biofilms, the first step in biofouling.
Biofouling is a major challenge for the maritime industry, as it increases energy use, damages equipment, and helps invasive species spread. Among the bacteria responsible for the first stages of biofouling, species belonging to the group Caulobacterales play a key role. These bacteria produce natural adhesives that are incredibly strong, stronger than most industrial glues. Our project focus on Caulobacterales isolated from different aquatic environments across Quebec to better understand how the properties of their adhesive vary depending on local environmental conditions.
By studying how these adhesives work, our team aims to design new materials that resist biofouling. The project combines biology, chemistry, and engineering to better understand bacterial adhesion and create eco-friendly, durable antifouling coatings. This collaboration will strengthen research partnerships between academic institutions, support local expertise in biotechnology, environmental and materials sciences, and contribute to sustainable innovations for the maritime sector.

Pour une épistémologie de l’indifférence : un vice épistémique collectif à la racine de l’inaction sociale

À la croisée de l’épistémologie sociale, de l’éthique et de la philosophie politique, cette recherche entend développer une épistémologie de l’indifférence conçue comme un vice épistémique institutionnalisé. L’objectif est d’éclairer les mécanismes épistémiques, affectifs et sociaux qui sous-tendent l’inaction sociale face à des situations pourtant reconnues comme moralement et politiquement préoccupantes. Il s’agit de démontrer que l’indifférence ne renvoie pas à un problème d’ignorance, mais plutôt à un défaut d’engagement envers des informations (tant des connaissances, des perspectives, des événements, etc.) connues, disponibles et significatives.
Ce projet vise à combler deux lacunes majeures en épistémologie sociale et en philosophie politique. La première est conceptuelle : il théorise un nouveau vice épistémique collectif. Aucun des travaux en épistémologie des vices n’a encore exploré les dimensions collectives et structurelles de l’indifférence. La seconde est normative et politique : comprendre l’indifférence comme socialement située et structurellement reproduite, et non comme un simple état individuel, permet de mettre en évidence son rôle dans la normalisation de l’inaction au sein de notre société et dans la reproduction d’injustices sociales.

dogged – Business Development and Market Expansion Strategy for Sustainable Pet Products

dogged is a Vancouver-based, sustainability-focused pet brand dedicated to creating high-quality, eco-friendly products such as slow feeders and natural treats that enrich the daily lives of dogs and their owners. As a rapidly growing start-up, dogged has established a strong foundation in product design and e-commerce but now faces the strategic challenge of expanding its presence in the B2B market. The company aims to build scalable, data-driven systems for reaching new retail partners across North America while maintaining its values of sustainability and quality.
The core problem lies in developing an efficient, research-based framework to identify, attract, and retain pet retail partners in a competitive market dominated by larger brands with greater marketing resources. dogged’s leadership recognizes that current outreach methods rely heavily on manual effort and informal processes, which limits growth and consistency in partner engagement. To move beyond routine sales activities, dogged seeks to design and implement a structured business development model that leverages market research, data analytics, and process optimization to improve outreach precision and conversion rates.
This project represents a significant innovation priority because it will allow dogged to systematically explore new market segments, test and refine outreach strategies, and establish a repeatable system that can be scaled as the company grows. Rather than focusing on short-term sales, the initiative emphasizes long-term organizational learning and process innovation transforming anecdotal outreach into measurable, evidence-based decision-making.

Beyond Reciprocity: Reimagining Ethical Global Health Promotion in Resource-Constrained School Systems

This project explores how international teaching programs between Canadian universities and Antiguan schools can be designed in ways that are fair, respectful, and beneficial for everyone involved. The research focuses on the Antigua Champions for Health (ACH) program, where Canadian student-teachers work with Antiguan schools to support health and physical education. By listening to both Canadian student-teachers and Antiguan educators, the study will highlight the benefits, challenges, and ethical questions that occur in these partnerships. The project will help universities and schools build stronger, more equal international collaborations, while also supporting healthier learning environments for children. For Canadian institutions, it offers insight into preparing students for ethical global engagement. For Antiguan institutions, it strengthens opportunities to share local expertise and ensure that international programs align with community priorities.

Optimization of Zirconia-Nanocellulose Inks for Direct Ink Writing of Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

This research project aims to develop and optimize zirconia-cellulose inks for additive manufacturing of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications. However, a key challenge in fabricating zirconia scaffolds via Direct Ink Writing (DIW) is the achievement of an ideal rheological properties for precise, high-fidelity printing. Thus, this study proposes the use of nanocellulose, a sustainable and bio-inspired additive, to serve as a rheological modifier that imparts the necessary shear-thinning and thixotropic behavior to the ceramic ink. The main objectives involve the characterization of raw materials, preparation of inks with varying nanocellulose concentrations, comprehensive rheological analysis to determine printability, and subsequent simulation, printing, and thermo-mechanical characterization of the sintered scaffolds. By systematically correlating nanocellulose concentration with the ink’s flow behavior and the final properties of the printed part, this work seeks to advance the fabrication of sustainable, high-performance bioceramic scaffolds for load-bearing applications, such as orthopedic and dental implants.

Exploration du concept de Befindlichkeit dans Être et temps

Mon projet s’inscrit dans le cadre d’une maîtrise en philosophie et porte sur Être et temps, l’oeuvre maîtresse du philosophe allemand Martin Heidegger. Dans cet ouvrage, Heidegger tente de répondre à la question du sens de l’être, car tout autre questionnement supposerait déjà une certaine compréhension de ce que signifie « être ». Pour y répondre, il propose d’étudier l’être humain, puisque celui-ci vit toujours dans une compréhension implicite de lui-même et du monde qui l’entoure. En comprenant cette structure, nous pourrions accéder au sens de l’être.

Dans mon mémoire, je m’intéresse à l’un des concepts qui structurent ce rapport : l’« affection ». Par ce terme, Heidegger désigne le fait que nous sommes toujours affectés par une disposition particulière — joie, ennui, angoisse, etc. — qui teinte notre expérience et oriente notre manière de comprendre le monde. Mon mémoire vise donc à présenter en détail ce concept, à retracer les influences qui ont conduit Heidegger à le thématiser et à examiner son rôle central dans Être et temps. Il se conclura par une partie critique, où je montrerai notamment les limites de cette approche, en particulier l’absence d’une réflexion approfondie sur le rôle du corps.