Nouvelles
A Strategic Partnership to Structure Deeptech Innovation
The Lassonde Deeptech Institute is taking its place within Québec’s innovation ecosystem with the signing of a collaboration agreement between Polytechnique Montréal and the Centre de collaboration MiQro Innovation (C2MI). At the heart of this partnership lies a clear objective: accelerating the transition of deeptech innovations toward concrete industrial applications, for the benefit of strategic sectors such as health, security, and the environment.
Maud Cohen, President of Polytechnique Montréal, and Marie-Josée Turgeon, Chief Executive Officer of C2MI.
Founded in 2025 following a major $50‑million donation from the Pierre Lassonde Family Foundation, the Lassonde Deeptech Institute has a mission to catalyze game‑changing innovations that address major societal challenges through the development of high‑impact technologies. The signing of a partnership with C2MI marks a new milestone for the Institute, enabling it to bring fundamental research conducted at Polytechnique Montréal closer to environments capable of supporting technological maturation and value creation.
From this perspective, collaboration with C2MI emerged naturally. A world‑class infrastructure, C2MI operates at a more advanced stage of the innovation chain. It provides research teams with unique prototyping, manufacturing, and scale‑up capabilities—essential for moving technologies from the laboratory into industrial settings. This complementarity lies at the core of the partnership.
Targeted Projects, Concrete Outcomes
Under the agreement, Polytechnique Montréal, the Lassonde Deeptech Institute, and C2MI will combine their expertise around targeted projects in strategic technological areas. Collaborations will focus in particular on semiconductors, photonics, and quantum technologies, as well as imaging technologies, optical communications, and sustainable manufacturing.
According to Oussama Moutanabbir, Professor at Polytechnique Montréal and Scientific Director of the Lassonde Deeptech Institute, the agreement responds to a clear need for structure within the innovation ecosystem. “C2MI plays a strategic role in Québec’s and Canada’s innovation ecosystems,” he said. “This partnership allows us to build concrete synergies between leading university research and unique scale‑up capabilities, making it possible to establish a true innovation continuum capable of addressing major industrial and societal challenges.”
From C2MI’s perspective, the agreement is seen as a way to act earlier in the technological development process. Its President and Chief Executive Officer, Marie‑Josée Turgeon, emphasized that the organization aims to “mobilize the full range of expertise within Québec’s ecosystem in order to start preparing today the solutions that tomorrow’s companies will need.”
By strengthening its collaborations—particularly with Polytechnique Montréal—C2MI seeks to consolidate the bridges between research and industry, with a view to creating sustainable value.
The agreement is also part of Québec’s network of innovation zones, including the Technum Québec hub. It helps reinforce a strategic corridor in microelectronics, photonics, and advanced technologies, generating economic benefits for Québec while aligning with Canadian priorities related to technological sovereignty, the security of critical supply chains, and the development of dual‑use technologies—issues closely tied to the Industry and Defence sectors.
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