Presentation by Ministère de l’Économie, de
l’Innovation et des Exportations
Strengthening Science, Technology, and
Innovation Partnerships
between Québec and Europe
International Collaboration Division
Montréal, September 24, 2014
Proposed Agenda
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General overview of Québec –
Research and innovation
•
Mandate of the International Collaboration
Division
•
Our existing collaborations with Europe
•
Opportunities on the Québec side
•
Potential new collaborations
General Overview of the Province of Québec
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GDP: $358 billion (20% of Canada’s GDP)
NAFTA: Access to a market of 460 million consumers
General Overview of the Province of Québec
An economy focused on innovation
• Life sciences (biotechnology, personalized health care,
biofood)
• Aeronautics
• Green technologies
• ICT and creative industries
• Renewable energy and transportation electrification
Research and Innovation in Québec
• Québec’s assets:
 A substantial university and college network
covering almost the entire province
 Strong and competitive international clusters
 A vibrant international culture
 A political commitment to invest in research and
innovation in the coming years
• In 2012, Québec had the most intensive R-D in
Canada with total expenses in terms of GDP of 2,28%,
(Canadian average = 1,73 %; OECD = 2,40%).
• Québec had 42,800 researchers, or 10 per 1,000 of the
active population, the highest ratio in Canada.
• A unique position in Canada: Québec Chief Scientist
General Overview of the Province of Québec
1- Bishop’s University
9- UQAM
2- Concordia University
10- UQTR
3- Université Laval
11- UQAC
4- McGill University
12- UQAR
5- Université de Montréal
6- HEC Montréal
7- École Polytechnique
de Montréal
8- Université de Sherbrooke
13- UQO
14- UQAT
15- INRS
16- ÉNAP
17- ÉTS
18- TÉLUQ
Québec Innovation Chain
What We Do
New minister since April 24: Jacques Daoust
Promote Québec’s participation (including institutional and industry
partners) in international projects and networks in the fields of research and
innovation by supporting the implementation of activities and strategic
alliances.
Initiatives may take the form of international agreements, programs, foreign missions, and the hosting
of international delegations with a view to facilitating targeted matchmaking with potential partners.
The International Collaboration Division also promotes Government of
Québec representation in international forums.
Examples of Past Activities
• May 2011: Canada-EU Innovation Forum
• May 2011: Visit by Ana Arana Antelo, Directorate General for
Research & Innovation, European Commission
• March 2012: Eureka European delegation
• July 2013: Visit by André Syrota, CEO of INSERM
• November 2013: Visit by Eurogia
• January 2014: Passport for Partnerships: Linking Québec and
Europe in Research and Innovation
• September 2014: Visit by Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European
Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science
Since 2011: Québec participation in the Canada-EU Joint
Committee on S-T (JSTCC)
PROGRAMS TO WATCH IF YOU
WANT TO COLLABORATE WITH
QUÉBEC
Research Assistance Program: Assistance
for International Research and Innovation
Initiatives Component (PSR-SIIRI)
Goals of PSR-SIIRI
Increase the number of high-level international research and innovation
partnerships in strategic and priority areas for Québec
Foster the participation of strategic groups, Québec centers of excellence, and
businesses within large international networks and R&D consortiums
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Research Assistance Program: Assistance for
International Research and Innovation
Initiatives Component (PSR-SIIRI)
 Types of projects
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Joint projects  Bilateral and multilateral
Major projects 
- International networks (four foreign partners and more)
- Large-scale joint projects (7th European Framework
Program, Horizon 2020)
Specific calls for proposals (government commitments,
themes)
Research Assistance Program: Assistance
for International Research and Innovation
Initiatives Component (PSR-SIIRI)
Target clienteles
Researchers associated with businesses* and nonprofit
organizations active in all aspects of scientific and technological
research, innovation, and transfer and with public research
facilities, health and education networks.
*Priority is given to those with less than 250 employees.
Calls for proposals to be confirmed.
For more information click here: PSR-SIIRI
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Québec and European Partners Share Strong Ties
• At the Canadian level, Québec receives 30% of EC
funding to Canada (ranked 2nd after Ontario).
• Our division offers 50% co-funding via PSR-SIIRI to
Québec researchers for their participation at FP7.
• Since 2007, 23 FP7 projects have been funded for a
total of $13.7 million.
= total budget of these projects is $36 million to be spent
in Québec - more than $156 million from international
contributions
Québec and European Partners Share Strong Ties
• We have funded bilateral
and multilateral projects
Partner country
Participating projects
(outside FP7) that include
France
105
European partners.
Italy
35
Germany
33
• Since 2007, 169 projects
Belgium
29
funded for a total of 14,4 M$
United Kingdom
27
from the Ministry.
Spain
16
Denmark
11
• These included joint
Netherlands
9
research projects, strategic
Sweden
6
Switzerland
5
networking, and project
building initiatives.
Québec Tax Holiday for Researchers and
Experts
Eligibility for employers: Basically private sector
Any employer operating a business in Québec and conducting
science research and experimental research is eligible.
Exceptions:
• Any municipality or public body performing government
functions.
• Any company with at least 90% of its shares, capital, or assets
held by a government or municipality in Québec.
• Any university or public research center.
Financial Assistance
• Provincial tax holiday. The direct beneficiary is the
foreign employee.
• This tax holiday is for a maximum of 60 consecutive
months and applies to the salary received by the
foreign researcher:
– 100% of taxable income the first two years
– 75% the third year
– 50% the fourth year
– 25% the fifth year
Tax Holiday for Foreign Experts and Researchers
• Since 2007, 109 experts and 352 researchers
have been admitted.
• For both categories, areas of expertise are
ICT, aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, and
biotechnology.
• Beneficiaries are mostly from France, the UK,
and Germany.
For more information click here: Tax holiday
Tax Holiday for Precompetitive Research Projects in
Private Partnership
For R&D partnerships between a minimum of 2
companies
The project must meet two objectives:
• Hold a partnership agreement
• Conduct precompetitive research
A foreign company can be a partner in these
projects.
For more information click here: Precompetitive
Québec Research Fund in Nature
and Technologies
• FRQNT is now a member of CHIST-ERA
(European Coordinated Research on
Long-term Challenges in Information and
Communication Sciences & Technologies,
ERA-Net).
• This membership allows Québec
researchers to present projects with their
international partners.
Québec Research Fund in Nature
and Technologies
Two thematic priorities:
• Resilient and Trustworthy Cyber-Physical
Systems
• Human Language Understanding
FRQNT will be funding two projects.
The call will be launched in October 2014.
For more information on the call:
http://www.chistera.eu/topics-keywordschist-era-conference-2014
Contact on the Québec side:
Guillaume Lamontagne
Email: guillaume.lamontagne@frq.gouv.qc.ca
Telephone: 1-418-643-8560, ext. 3455
Aerospace Collaboration Opportunities
Consortium for Research and Innovation
in Aerospace in Québec (CRIAQ)
• International collaborations - Require at least two
Canadian enterprises, and one foreign.
• Intellectual property matters are managed between
partners.
$107.6 million total for ongoing & completed projects
55+
25+
industrial members
20+
academic members
600+
p. 23
international collaborators
researchers and
industrial specialists
Collaborations with Europe
 Continued relations with Europe since CRIAQ’s creation in 2002
(missions, MOU, agreement)
 Successful projects:
A collaborative model based on business agreements between companies
and/or student exchange (& co-supervision) between research institutions
p. 24
NEW
Consortium for Aerospace Research
and Innovation in Canada (CARIC)
 Launched in April 2014
 Operational model based on CRIAQ recognized as a
best practice for collaborative research in Canada
 Industry-driven with strong academic presence and
collaboration
 Mandated to manage the first EU-Canada coordinated
call in aeronautics
2015 EU-Canada Coordinated Call for Research Projects
in Aeronautics
Ongoing opportunity
1st call in coordination with the European Commission
• Funding available for 3–4 projects (total project budget
around €3 million: Canadian and European activities
combined)
• A partnership of a minimum of 7 partners:
4 from Canada (2 academics & 2 industries)
3 from Europe
• Deadline for submission: April, 23, 2015, on both sides
For more info on the Canadian side please subscribe to CARIC's newletter at
www.caric.ca/
• Success rate: twice the average for H2020 Research and
Innovation Actions
2015 EU-Canada Coordinated Call for Research Projects
in Aeronautics
Topic-oriented call:
• Reducing environmental impact through advanced
design of novel aircraft configurations
• Reducing noise through novel materials design and
application on engines and/or airframes
• Resource-efficient, high-performance, advancedmaterials product development and manufacturing
• Reducing energy consumption through more electrical
aircraft and systems integration
More info on this call (European side) at
http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/9059mg-1.9-2015.html
BLUE GROWTH FOCUS AREA
WP 2014-2015
Trans-Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance
Status: Political statement advanced jointly by all three parties:
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Utilizing existing bilateral science and technology cooperation agreements and
multilateral cooperation frameworks,
Recommending priorities for future cooperation, and, where possible,
Coordinating the planning and programming of relevant activities in these areas.
Goal: Better understand the Atlantic Ocean and promote the sustainable management of
its resources. The work will also study the interplay of the Atlantic Ocean with the Arctic
Ocean, particularly with regard to climate change.
In Work Program 2014–2015: Several topics are identified as relevant for implementation
of the Galway Statement:
• Involvement of US and Canadian entities strongly encouraged
https://www.marine.ie/home/aboutus/newsroom/pressreleases/EUUSCanadalaunchAtlant
icOceanresearchallianceinGalway.htm
Our Priorities with Europe
• Facilitate the dissemination of opportunities for
collaboration with Europe to the research and
innovation community in Québec.
• Offer direct co-funding for international research
projects involving European partners and work with
partners to extend our offer to researchers and
companies.
• Organize outward and inward missions and
contribute to the creation of strategic partnerships.
CONTACTS
For questions
Hasna Rouighi
Email: hasna.rouighi@mesrs.gouv.qc.ca
Tel.: 514-873-1767, ext.6910
Inji Yaghmour
Email: Inji.yaghmour@mesrs.gouv.qc.ca
Tel.: 514-873-1767, ext.6971
Questions/Comments
•…
Thank you!
MERCI!
Visit our website:
www.economie.gouv.qc.ca