The knowledge industry benefits Sherbrooke. By focusing for several years on business incubators, a quantum institute and cutting-edge technologies, the Queen of the Eastern Townships has reversed its brain drain to become a magnet for scientists. Visit to one of Quebec’s technological melting pots.
Amirreza Ataei decided in 2021 to launch his cutting-edge technology company, Chemia Discovery. Among all the quantum research institutes in the world, he chose that of Estrie to establish himself. “If you ask me why I chose Sherbrooke, it’s because of this machine,” explains this Iranian native.
The little metal cylinder doesn’t look like anything, but a sign reminds us that it is not as harmless as one might think. “Danger: strong magnetic field,” it reads in yellow and black. The curious device causes the cohabitation of an extreme magnetic field (20,000 times more than a refrigerator magnet) and equally extreme cold (around -273°C). Prototypes of “superconductors” or “spin liquids” are tested in this tube, materials with names as futuristic as their properties.
“From the moment we started in business, we wanted to discover our quantum materials,” explains the scientist turned entrepreneur. “There are traditional applications of materials, such as medical imaging, magnetic levitation trains […] An interesting example is finding materials that absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) of the atmosphere and which, in addition to that, have the physical properties of moving CO2 inside its crystal structure. In other words, we can develop filters that never run out. »
We trained the best, but we exported them all over the planet. Why not do it here?
These almost magical crystals for ordinary mortals were born thanks to his talent, but also to the support of the Quantum Institute (IQ) of the University of Sherbrooke. Around fifteen different companies revolve around this cutting-edge equipment. These companies have roots in Vancouver, Ireland, France. A Korean company and another Spanish company should also soon set up in the surrounding area, we have learned The duty. According to Mr. Ataei, around 30% of his colleagues already come from outside the country.
Leave the laboratory
Making quantum materials in the laboratory isn’t everything. They still have to be sold. To achieve this, Amirreza Ataei’s company is counting on the Accelerator for the Creation of Technological Businesses (ACET). The team has helped more than 150 companies launch in a decade of existence, underlines Ghyslain Goulet, president and CEO of this incubator, in an interview. “Since 2010, we have seen the birth of many young companies. Sherbrooke is really making a shift towards a value-added economy. »
Sherbrooke’s proximity to the United States allows many industries to begin their growth in New England, where there is a large pool of customers, he emphasizes. In any case, looking outside Quebec is practically essential in the knowledge industry, both to recruit labor and to find new clients. “The first technology customers are often in Quebec. But, in terms of quantum, these are often large groups that we don’t have in Quebec. Quantum happens a lot internationally. »
Knowledge from everywhere
Little unanimity emerges in the quantum field, but “one thing everyone agrees on is the shortage of talent,” according to IQ director Christian Sarra-Bournet. The latter helped set up this institute in 2016. “We trained the best, but we exported them all over the planet. Why not do it here? » he remembers. Since then, the exodus has become an attraction. Today, nearly 60% of the Quantum Institute’s 250 students come from outside Canada.
We are starting to have more and more powerful quantum processors. We need good programmers because it’s really a new way of doing programming.
The reputation of renowned researchers like Louis Taillefer also weighs heavily on this capacity for attraction. At least that’s what Amirreza Ataei says: “ [En Iran]I went to Google and searched for scientific publications in the field of quantum materials research. [Louis Taillefer] is one of the first ten cited researchers and three or four living researchers. This led me to choose [Sherbrooke]. »
However, the University of Sherbrooke does not neglect the place of local students in the growth of the knowledge industry. A new bachelor’s degree was created in 2022 specifically in quantum information sciences, the first of its kind in the world. “We are starting to have more and more powerful quantum processors. We need good programmers because it’s really a new way of doing programming,” says Mr. Sarra-Bournet.
Almost 80% of students who obtain a diploma in the quantum field at the University of Sherbrooke end up working in a company. The rest will remain within the university domain.
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.