This text is part of the special notebook 55 years of INRS
By being exclusively devoted to research and graduate training, the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS) promotes development and innovation within a diversity of sectors. Its distinctive character allows it greater agility to meet the different needs of Quebec society. Overview of its recent innovations.
“It’s our strength. We can quickly mobilize on new issues based on the research that is being done,” summarizes Karine Souffez, director of the strategic partnerships and innovation support department. The very structure of INRS therefore allows it to orient itself in order to respond to major emerging challenges.
In recent years, the institute has increased collaborations with the province’s municipalities. “We have different projects with the cities. We developed a great closeness with them,” she emphasizes.
This is particularly the case with the Carrefour de l’eau, established in partnership with the City of Quebec. The initiative aims to create a world-class center of expertise and innovation in the sustainable management of blue gold. “And what is particular about this project is that there is a governance model which is quite innovative in itself,” argues the director. Thus, six partners, including INRS, two private companies, the Quebec Port Authority, Quebec City and an incubator are gathered around the same table. These different actors aim to find solutions to the needs of industrialists regarding the recycling of wastewater. “This is not currently happening in Quebec,” recalls M.me Breathe. We want to respond to the problem of water stress, which is glaring in several countries. »
Research chairs in partnership with municipalities
In addition to the Carrefour de l’eau in the national capital, INRS is collaborating with the City of Laval in a first partnership research chair in microbiome engineering. And this, with the aim of finding sustainable answers to the challenges facing the agri-food sector. “It’s about knowing the microbial ecosystem well in order to develop solutions compatible with nature. Both for the soil and for the plants,” summarizes Mme Breathe. This chair is also part of the carbon neutrality vision of the City of Laval, she adds. The initiative funded by the municipality for a sum of $300,000 spread over three years also seeks to democratize scientific culture, with a forum for exchange and popularization workshops offered to citizens. “We lead partnerships that are interdisciplinary. When we talk about the chair on the microbiome, it affects several sectors of activity,” specifies the director.
This is also the case with the new Municipal Chair in Sustainable Water Management, created in February in collaboration with the Fédération québécoise des municipalities (FQM). The objective of this initiative is to be able to identify the challenges faced by cities regarding the sustainable management of blue gold while proposing exchanges between the different actors involved. “Until now, there was no place to place the common concerns of cities and take them into account in research that makes it possible to serve more than one locality at the same time,” notes M.me Breathe. It is an invaluable engine for co-constructing knowledge that can be put into action more quickly. »
Young shoots at INRS
The IRNS has also enabled the creation and development of around fifteen companies resulting from research carried out within its walls, calculates Mme Breathe. This is particularly the case of Geosapiens, which creates new tools to manage flood risks. As for Kaptics, it aims to better understand the user experience in immersive virtual environments. And, for its part, Axis photonique designs scientific instruments intended for the study of ultrafast events in physics and chemistry. Increasingly, INRS wishes to support its experts in setting up new commercial projects. “There is a lot of collaboration with these companies that need to continue to do research and development. This proximity allows them to develop the technology that emerges from the laboratories,” underlines M.me Breathe.
The young shoots emerging from the institute also face several challenges. “As science is often at lower levels of technological maturation, the challenge is to be able to advance it so that it can be marketable. It takes some time, investment, perseverance. And this is all that we aim to support more in the coming years. »
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