Prompt - 2003-2013 Activity Report

in good company

Software

Microelectronics

Optics-Photonics

Wireless

Prompt Report 2003-2013

Catalyzing ICT R&D

in good company

A Decade of Impact • Prompt has leveraged $22 million from the Government of Québec over the last 10 years, enabling more than 75 industry-academic R&D projects valued at more than $70 million. These initiatives have generated a return of up to 5-to-1 for collaborating companies.

• These activities led to the launch of the $70 million Equation project in 2011. Coordinated by Prompt, this major green ICT project brings together $40 million from six multinational leaders and $30 million from the Government of Québec. It is already generating energyefficient green ICT solutions that promise to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption.

• The outcomes of these Prompt-supported R&D partnerships increase the R&D capacity of participating companies, enabling the creation of new products, highvalue jobs and private sector growth. This leads to the delivery of economic, social and environmental benefits across Québec.

The staying power of the Prompt model is clear. Prompt’s impact on innovation, industry and the economy is evident across the province of Québec.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

24-25 26-27 28-29 30-31 32-33 34-37 38 39 40

A Decade of Impact Prompt at a Glance Achieving Significant Leverage Letter from the Chairman Letter from the President and CEO The Power of Prompt… Our Story Information and Communications Technologies 10-Year Success Story: Ericsson 10-Year Success Story: Ultra Electronics 5-Year Success Story: Green ICT Thales Success Story IBM/RIM/TELUS Success Story EMOVI Success Story InterDigital Success Story Fujitsu Canada Success Story TeraXion Success Story Student Success Story: Benoît Châtelain Student Success Story: Frédéric Plourde Student Success Story: Yan Basile-Bellavance Researcher Success Story: Dr. Jacques Beauvais Overview of Prompt R&D Projects (2010-2013) International Collaboration Board of Directors Investment Committee and Prompt Members References

Prompt Report 2003-2013

2 3 4-5 6-7 8-11 12-13 14-15 16-17 18-21 22-23

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and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and other granting agencies, and scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) tax credits from provincial and federal governments, every dollar invested by a company can generate a return of five dollars of net R&D investment.

Prompt at a glance

Mission To stimulate industry-university Research and Development (R&D) partnerships that increase the competitiveness of the Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) industry

Prompt is a non-profit corporation that stimulates R&D partnerships between industry and public research institutions (universities and government research centres) to increase the competitiveness of Québec in the global ICT market.

With support from the Government of Québec, the Government of Canada and the private sector, Prompt facilitates the creation of new alliances that increase the R&D capacity of Québec companies, maximize public investments in research, and enable the development of highly qualified people.

Prompt achieves this by:

• Providing funding for precompetitive R&D Financial Partner

partnerships that engage at least two companies and two research institutions. Prompt facilitates collaborative R&D projects that must be completed within three years of funding to ensure synergy with industry timelines and market windows.

• Brokering new relationships amongst researchers,

Project Partner

developers and leaders in academia, industry, government and the investment community in Québec—and increasingly across Canada and around the world. Prompt is a catalyst for the creation of dynamic teams and the expansion of business networks.

• Identifying and stimulating new R&D and market

opportunities for ICT companies and researchers across Québec. Prompt shares important technological and business insight with the ICT community and helps innovators to capitalize on lucrative opportunities at home and abroad.

Prompt Value Proposition For companies, Prompt:

• Serves as an effective gateway into universities,

guiding companies to the expertise and resources required to meet their R&D objectives; • Stimulates relevant precompetitive R&D that directly supports business goals, technology roadmaps and product development; • Typically generates a return of 5-to-1 on every dollar invested in a collaborative R&D project; and • Creates a virtual technology showcase for innovators in Québec, while serving as a key information source and voice for the ICT industry.

For researchers, Prompt:

• Offers access to industry partners and a new source of research funding;

• Provides a ‘one-stop shop’ for a broad range of

research-oriented products and services, as well as industry-university relations; • Helps to stimulate new forms of industry-university research collaboration; and • Facilitates cooperation with research centres outside of academia for even greater impact.

For government investors, Prompt:

• Maximizes return on investments in ICT research; • Supports training of highly qualified personnel in accordance with the needs of the ICT industry;

• Encourages the attraction and retention of

businesses in a highly globalized industry; and

• Promotes partnerships with international academic

institutions to create projects with greater critical mass, and help establish commercial relationships.

The partnerships facilitated by Prompt offer industry a compelling value proposition and significant return on investment. These alliances are financed by the private sector, the Government of Québec and the Government of Canada. As these initiatives often receive additional funds from the Natural Sciences

Information and communication technologies have permeated all industrial sectors and spheres of human activity. The tremendous potential for these technologies to transform society will only continue to grow.

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The prompt Team

Achieving Significant Leverage Prompt facilitates industry-academic R&D partnerships in ICT that achieve significant financial leverage.

In the following simulation, a company invests $100,000 in a joint research project with a Québec university.

As scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) tax credits are made available to the company through the Governments of Canada and Québec, the total cost of the project to the company is a maximum of $58,000. Prompt contributes 85% of the company’s total investment directly to the university, adding $85,000 to the project. NSERC contributes 100% of the company’s investment directly to the university, adding $100,000 to the project. Once the university has deducted standard administration fees for research, the total investment in the industry-university R&D project is about $257,000. The net cost to the company is a maximum of $58,000. Because of Prompt’s contribution, and the leverage gained through other investments and tax credits, the value of every dollar invested by a company can be worth a factor of five.

‘000 CAD$ 300 290 280 270 260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Investment

University fees $27,750 NSERC $100 000 $100,000

Prompt $85,000

Business $100,000

Total amount invested in R&D $257,250 SR&ED related savings $42 000 to $53,000

Cost to business $47,000 to $58,000 Prompt financing

NSERC financing

Business

SR&ED related savings

Prompt Report 2003-2013

* In the above simulation, the total tax benefits and SR&ED related cost savings can vary according to the size of the company. The simulation was completed according to the provincial and federal tax credit policies effective on March 3, 2011.

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Letter from the Chairman Over the last seven years, I have been honored to work with Prompt as an industrial collaborator, Director, and now Chairman of the Board. From my initial interaction with the Prompt team, to the many projects I have contributed to as an industry partner, I recognized the value of the Prompt model.

It is an approach that delivers benefits to industry, academia and government. As we enter our second decade, the staying power of this model is clear. Today, the Prompt model has become a point of reference in the research and innovation community.

Its impact on innovation, industry and the economy is evident across the province of Québec. Working in close collaboration with our many partners, Prompt has cultivated a truly integrated ICT community that fuels key sectors of our local economy. Remaining true to the principles that underpin its successful model, this organization has consistently evolved to meet the needs of Québec’s ICT industry.

Michel Desgagné Chairman of the Board, Prompt

And this sector has experienced massive transformation over the last 10 years. If we reflect on Prompt’s early years, the ICT landscape looked very different. Nortel, a global R&D giant, served as one of the most dominant industry partners and investors on many Prompt-supported projects. The first initiatives focused largely on telecommunications R&D that targeted the specific needs of a small group of wellestablished firms.

Over the last decade, ICT has permeated all industrial sectors and spheres of human activity.

The tremendous potential for these technologies to transform society is clearly recognized. Given this wealth of opportunity, Québec’s ICT industry has evolved significantly during this period. In addition to multinational anchor companies, today this sector also boasts a rich hotbed of 5,000 SMEs that provide technology-based products and services to a variety of sectors. These include life sciences, energy, environment, security, aerospace, natural resources, and entertainment. According to the Québec Technology Association, a typical ICT company in

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Québec employs 36 people, has been in business 17 years, and generates annual sales of $4.7 million.1 Prompt has not only adapted to these changes, it has directly contributed to the continued growth of Québec’s ICT sector, which contributed more than $13 billion2 (or typically 5.1%3 of Québec’s GDP) to our economy in 2012. As the sector evolved, Prompt developed a new strategy that helped ICT companies establish R&D partnerships with innovators in key vertical markets such as e-Health, public safety, defence and the environment. The resulting collaborations have translated into new commercial applications across different sectors of the economy.

A defining milestone of this strategy: the development and application of ICT to improve energy efficiency and to reduce polluting carbon emissions. Prompt has demonstrated internationally recognized leadership in green ICT, bringing together the right collaborators to help Québec capitalize on this economic and environmental opportunity. These efforts have culminated in one of the most exciting

initiatives of Prompt’s history: Equation. Valued at $70 million, the Equation project is made possible by visionary investment from the Government of Québec and six world-leading companies. These include: CGI, Ericsson, Fujitsu Canada, IBM Canada, Miranda Technologies and Teledyne DALSA. Prompt has consistently maintained its relevance as a broker of highly productive industry-academic R&D partnerships. This is one of the greatest benefits Prompt delivers to industry. Companies require access to ideas and talent that keep them at the leading edge in an increasing competitive global economy. Firms not only integrate the outcomes of these projects into their business, they often recruit their highly skilled research collaborators. These initiatives serve as a talent scout and pipeline for talent hungry companies.

However, many companies still do not have established relationships with university professors, researchers or students who could extend their R&D team. In a resource-strapped SME, every

With such a winning formula, it is no surprise that industry demand for R&D partnerships has consistently exceeded available funding from the public sector. There is tremendous untapped potential to help many more Québec ICT companies achieve their R&D objectives. By evolving and applying our unique model even more broadly going forward, we can help more firms experience the power of Prompt. If the current track record is any indication, Prompt will deliver even greater return for Québec in the decade ahead.

Our progress over the last 10 years demonstrates what can be achieved when a community comes together in support of a shared vision and common goals. I would like to extend sincere appreciation to the Government of Québec for their strategic investment in Prompt, and by extension, in Québec’s ICT industry and the many sectors it supports. I would also like to thank our fellow government, industry and academic investors including NSERC and the many Québec-based companies and universities that contribute to Prompt-supported R&D projects.

I would also like to recognize our Board of Directors, Investment Committee, industry, academic and partner members, and employees for their continued commitment to Prompt’s vision and mandate.

And perhaps most importantly, I would like to thank the many innovators who are creating novel technologies that will deliver a healthier, safer and more productive future to the people of Québec.

Prompt Report 2003-2013

“

Prompt has consistently maintained its relevance as a broker of highly productive industry-academic R&D partnerships. This is one of the greatest benefits Prompt delivers to industry.”

minute – and every dollar – counts. These firms are focused on mission critical tasks related to investment, business development and revenue generation. Many do not know how to identify the right collaborator or establish an industry-academic R&D project. And they certainly don’t have the time to investigate such partnerships on their own.

Prompt serves as a highly effective gateway to hundreds of highly skilled scientists and engineers in 17 universities across the province. Moreover, they provide brokering, support and funding that helps firms put this talent to work in applied projects that directly support their business objectives. This enables companies to leverage their R&D dollars by an average factor of 5-to-1, helping their R&D budget go further and their R&D team to achieve more.

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Letter from the President and CEO Across our province, Québec’s investment in industry-academic R&D partnerships is paying dividends. We see highly skilled people collaborating on the development of innovative products. We find high-paying jobs and competitive companies. We discover a rich undergrowth of small to medium-sized firms that are helping Québec to capitalize on the market opportunities presented by powerful ICTs. Building on home-grown expertise, world-class research and strategic investment from the Government of Québec and other funders, Québec’s ICT companies are competing successfully around the world. And they are performing R&D that delivers economic, social and environmental benefits to our citizens.

Prompt plays a pivotal role by stimulating industry-academic R&D partnerships that increase the competitiveness of the ICT industry.

Dr. Charles Despins, Eng. President and CEO Prompt

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As we enter our second decade, I am pleased to report that Prompt is meeting, and in many cases exceeding, our objectives.”

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As we enter our second decade, I am pleased to report that Prompt is meeting, and in many cases exceeding, our objectives. Since our inception in 2003, the Government of Québec has invested $52 million in our ICT innovation ecosystem through Prompt. Over the last decade, $22 million of this sum was dedicated to R&D partnerships. An additional $30 million was dedicated to the Equation Project. Launched in 2011, and valued at $70 million, this initiative brings together six industry leaders that are committing to invest $40 million to match the $30 million invested by Government of Québec through Prompt.

When coupled with funding from industry collaborators and granting agency partners such as NSERC, Prompt industry-university R&D partnerships have generated a return of more than 3-to-1 on every dollar invested by the Government of Québec. Over the last 10 years, the $22 million investment has fuelled a total of 75 industry-academic R&D projects with a total value of more than $70 million. And the impact

of this investment on Québec tax-payers is further compounded by the increased innovation capacity of the ICT ecosystem fueled by Prompt. This ultimately translates into high-value jobs and private sector growth that have driven our ICT sector to account for more than five percent of Québec’s Gross domestic product (GDP).

It is indeed important to put these figures into context and understand what this means for Québec and our citizens. During this 10-year period, Prompt industry-university R&D projects engaged many university researchers, students and firms from every corner of the province. This includes:

• Well-established multinational companies that

employ thousands of Québecers and invest many millions in local R&D each year; and • A host of emerging firms and small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) that break open new markets and diversify our economy.

Building on Prompt’s commitment to help grow ICT companies across the province, these firms hail from Montréal to Québec City, Bromont to Val-d’Or, and Gatineau to Trois-Rivières. Working with leading researchers, they collaborate on the development of novel ICTs that span microelectronics, photonics, wireless technologies, telecommunications networks and services, software and multimedia. These components, devices and systems are embedded in applications we rely on every day. Promptsupported collaborations strengthen the R&D capacity of Québec-based companies that develop innovative products, create jobs and build our economy.

Downstream, the outcomes of these projects deliver social benefits to our citizens. As described through the success stories in this report, Prompt is enabling the development and application of new technologies in life sciences, public safety, defence, transportation, energy and environment.

The adoption of these innovations will help to improve the productivity, health and prosperity of our citizens, and contribute to the smart cities of the future. For example, following the conduct of several strategic green ICT initiatives, Prompt was proud to be selected by the Government of Québec to coordinate the $70 million Equation project.4 This initiative will help Québec reap the economic and environmental benefits of cloud computing, smart grids and other technologies that reduce carbon

emissions, increase energy efficiency and improve our quality of life. The realization of such benefits represents a key goal for Prompt.

As we look forward, we aim to build on the results achieved to date and continually improve our industry-university R&D partnership offering for our stakeholders. In support of this objective, we have streamlined our application process, making it easier for industry-academic collaborators to apply for Prompt funding. Today, innovators are invited to submit proposals for collaborative R&D projects at any time. Our close collaboration with NSERC enables applicants to receive funding decisions from both government investors within nearly the same period as traditional NSERC applications.

Through the unwavering commitment of our Board of Directors, management team and member community, we constantly strive to uphold the highest standard of corporate governance and best practices for a non-profit corporation. From audit processes to project funding decisions, management works closely with our Board to establish the oversight tools required to maintain a high level of value-add for both its public and private sector investors.

In the fast changing ICT industry, we constantly explore the needs of our community. In early 2012, Prompt consulted Québec ICT companies to acquire feedback and recommendations to help us to further strengthen our partnership services. This survey garnered responses from 130 companies.

Approximately 85 percent of respondents were SMEs with 250 or fewer employees. This survey yielded important opportunities and challenges that will influence our next strategic plan, and enable us to continually increase the value of our services to Québec’s ICT community. For example:

from industry-academic R&D collaboration.

Companies cited a lack of knowledge about business issues among universities as the main obstacle in such partnerships.

• More than 50 percent of firms surveyed currently engage in, or aim to develop, international R&D partnerships with innovators across North America, Europe and Asia.

Drawing on these insights, Prompt aims to develop targeted strategies and action plans to address these key opportunities and challenges in the years ahead. It also validates the value of the international R&D collaborations facilitated by Prompt over the last decade. These partnerships are essential to help open new market and educational doors for Québec innovators.

As we conclude this 10-year period and enter our second decade, it gives me great pride to reflect on the many milestones we have achieved with our community. I would like to express sincere appreciation to the Government of Québec for their unwavering support of Prompt and industryacademic R&D partnerships. I would also like to thank NSERC and the many industry and academic partners who make our program possible. I also wish to recognize our Board of Directors, committee members, and the employees of Prompt, many of whom I have been privileged to work with for almost a decade. Your dedication and hard work have propelled ICT innovation, strengthened our economy, and helped improve quality of life for citizens throughout Québec.

• Two thirds of companies surveyed still do not

Prompt Report 2003-2013

collaborate with universities or research centres on R&D. Respondents attributed this lack of collaboration to perceived administrative barriers, lack of resources and minimal knowledge about the benefits of such cooperation.

• However, the vast majority (91 percent) of companies that currently collaborate with universities and research centres wish to continue these R&D partnerships.

• Respondents identified access to highly qualified people as one of the greatest benefits derived

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in good company The Power of Prompt… Our Story Building from the Ground Up In early 2003, researchers, engineers and scientists across Québec were busy at work performing world-class research inside their labs. With 17 universities and R&D intensive giants such as Nortel, Ericsson and Bell Canada across the province, Québec was recognized as a hub for world-class research in ICT. Universities produced a steady stream of highly skilled graduates, creating a robust pipeline for local technology firms that readily recruited this talent.

founding members OF PROMPT • AdtekPhotomask • École Polytechnique de Montréal • École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) • Ericsson • Hyperchip • IBM Canada • INRS • McGill University • Miranda Technologies • Université de Sherbrooke

Educating the next generation of highly skilled workers was just one of many priorities facing university professors and researchers. While juggling the demands of teaching, proposals and research itself, these innovators were challenged to explore opportunities for R&D collaboration.

There was simply no province-wide mechanism to build linkages with fellow academics or companies with complementary research interests – let alone build cooperative R&D projects. The ecosystem was somewhat fragmented with many researchers and companies working independently on specific goals and projects. With few forums for meaningful interaction as a community, it was challenging to develop new relationships with fellow ICT innovators and develop R&D partnerships.

Given the strength of Québec’s ICT research and industry base, it was hard to believe such a platform did not exist. This gap in the innovation ecosystem presented a challenge and an opportunity for Québec’s ICT community. And in 2002, a handful of university research leaders stepped forward to take action. It was a powerful grassroots initiative with an ambitious vision. These innovators aimed to mobilize and leverage the research capacity, expertise and resources of the ICT community to increase the competitiveness of Québec. They did not aim to create another R&D funding instrument, build bricks and mortarbased research spaces, or equip university and industry labs with new technologies. They aimed

to stimulate the development of industry-academic R&D partnerships that increased the capabilities and impact of all participants.

They knew a winning value proposition – and high rate of return – would be required to succeed.

This would be the only way to build an engaged, invested and integrated ICT community with critical mass. Any action taken must deliver real economic and social benefits to these stakeholders and the citizens of Québec. Before building a plan, the group committed to identify and rally the right participants who could help translate their vision into reality. They aimed to establish a 10-person team with equal horsepower from industry and academia. But before pursuing such champions, they realized this initiative required a name that captured their vision. It was Dr. Mohamed Chaker of INRS, one of the founding members of this new initiative, who coined the acronym by which this organization is known today: Prompt. It is a name that works well in French and English: Partenariats de Recherche Orientée en Microélectronique, Photonique et Télécommunications and Partnerships for Research on Microelectronics, Photonics and Telecommunications.

Now it was time to build a powerful team. As part of this process, the researchers solicited guidance from leaders across Québec’s ICT industry. This included the Chief Technology Officer at Bell Nordiq (today in Bell Aliant). He held a dual role as a Professor of Engineering with INRS. With a rare blend of industry and academic experience, more than 20 years of ICT research expertise and a deep knowledge of Québec’s ICT sector, they recruited him as the founding President and CEO of the entity they aimed to create. Little did they realize, Dr. Charles Despins would continue to lead the organization ten years later.

With a shared vision and commitment, 10 innovation leaders started to build a strategic plan.

This vision has sustained these founding members for an entire decade as each one remains highly active as a champion of Prompt today.

They consulted leaders across the community and investigated successful R&D partnerships, such as those established by Dr. François Gagnon of ÉTS and Ultra Electronics. These alliances helped to create the blueprint on which Prompt was built.

With a shared vision and commitment, 10 innovation leaders set out to build a strategic plan.

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• Research talent, including scientists, engineers and students from universities and research centres; • ICT companies, from well-established multinationals to SMEs and emerging firms; • The Government of Québec; and • Other prospective R&D funders throughout Québec, across Canada, and perhaps even around the world.

Following the identification of the right innovation players, the team set out to build the right R&D partnership model. Their goal: to stimulate industry-academic precompetitive R&D collaboration. They aimed to establish a not-forprofit organization that would serve as a transparent and impartial broker, enabling all contributors to build projects in a completely neutral environment.

This entity would not seek equity positions in start-ups, intellectual property rights or royalties from licensing agreements. It would provide cash, innovative ideas and the opportunity to connect with potential collaborators. This would simplify the often complex industry-university partnership equation, increasing the confidence of academic and industry participants, and creating a platform to develop a concrete and results-oriented plan.

And lastly, it would amalgamate private and public sector funding to help all investors gain greater return on every dollar invested. These are core principles that underpin Prompt’s highly successful approach and value proposition.

In 2002, the team actively pursued investors from the Government of Québec, industry and other sources to help get Prompt off the ground. Although resources were scarce, the team secured essential seed funding from the Government of Québec through an agency known at time as Valorisation-Recherche Québec.

This investment led to the first Prompt Call for Proposals on November 29, 2002 and funding for initial industry-academic R&D projects in ICT and telecommunications. These inaugural years established the solid foundation upon which Prompt and its unique model are built.

Demonstrating Proof-of-Concept Following this start-up phase, Prompt further established a solid operational model and demonstrated early impact across Québec.

The corporation maintained an entrepreneurial approach, brokering activities and minimal overhead. Prompt continues to employ this approach today, committing a majority of its funds to industrially relevant R&D projects that generate near-term value to corporate partners. This is required to support, and add value to, the short innovation cycle and aggressive market windows managed by ICT companies.

Governed by a dedicated Board of Directors, and working closely with the community it serves, Prompt acquired further investment in 2005 from the Government of Québec through the Ministère du Développement Économique de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation (MDEIE). This enabled the organization to expand its offering and better meet the growing demand for industry-academic R&D partnerships. It also allowed Prompt to organize and host the first annual R&D symposium of its kind in Québec. This event served as a showcase for the outcomes of Prompt-supported R&D collaboration, and facilitated critical relationship building among members of the ICT community.

According to Dr. Charles Despins, “This was a pivotal moment in the history of Prompt and the ICT community we serve. It demonstrated that we could do something productive together and generate results. And we had the prototypes to prove it.”

Prompt Report 2003-2013

As part of this process, the team identified all the ingredients required for a successful recipe:

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in good company

Charting a High Growth Trajectory In 2006, Prompt gained significant momentum, expanding its technological and sector reach and increasing its impact. Following the initial success of collaborative R&D projects, including several prototype demonstrations, industry started to invest significantly in Prompt. The value of Prompt as a broker of industry-academic R&D partnerships, and the associated value proposition for ICT companies and the sector as a whole, was recognized.

Demand for these R&D alliances catapulted to a new level and continued to grow.

To leverage industry and government investment further, Prompt established instrumental partnerships with granting agencies including NSERC. It further strengthened its governance structure, and launched a funding review committee with industry, academic and investment experts from within and outside Québec. This was accompanied by enhancements to its already rigorous proposal adjudication and funding process.

“

Through highly productive R&D partnerships with some of the most brilliant minds in Québec, we strive to help ICT companies build a better bottom line, boost their export potential, and increase their socio-economic impact.”

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Perhaps most importantly, it developed a strategic plan that aimed to help broaden the research and market opportunity for Prompt stakeholders, and further increase the competitiveness of Québec’s ICT sector. This plan focused on the pursuit of lucrative opportunities in three key vertical markets where ICT serves as an enabling technology. These included: e-Health, public safety and energy.

In 2008, Prompt received another injection of funding from the Government of Québec to stimulate the development of new industryacademic R&D partnerships as outlined in its

Demonstrating leadership and strong advocacy for an emerging opportunity, the organization contributed to a host of green ICT projects including the GreenStar Network (funded by CANARIE), Netvirt and cross-border partnerships supported by the Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP). These high visibility collaborations eventually led to the selection of Prompt by the Government of Québec as Coordinator of the $70 million Equation Project in 2011.

Equation is comprised of six industry-led green ICT projects made possible by $30 million from the Government of Québec and a total of $40 million from six world-leading multinational companies with a strong R&D presence in Québec. These include: CGI, Ericsson, Fujitsu Canada, IBM Canada, Miranda Technologies and Teledyne DALSA. Launched in November 2011, this novel private-public partnership aims to develop and demonstrate energy-efficient green ICT solutions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption. Each of the green ICT projects within Equation draws on Prompt’s industry-academic partnership model, bringing established companies together with Québec-based SMEs, entrepreneurs and university researchers. These initiatives will help Québec reap the economic, social and environmental benefits of cloud computing, smart grids and other technologies. The realization of such benefits represents a key goal for Equation and for Prompt.

Powering Future R&D Partnerships that Deliver Economic, Social and Environmental Benefits Today, Prompt maintains a razor sharp focus on its mission. The win-win partnerships facilitated

by Prompt are financed by the private sector, the Government of Québec and the Government of Canada, and generate high leverage for all investors. As collaborative R&D projects often receive additional funds from granting agencies such as NSERC, and scientific research and experimental development (SR&ED) tax credits from provincial and federal governments, the value of every dollar invested by a company can generate a return of five dollars of net R&D investment.

Going forward, Prompt aims to build on results achieved to date, and continue to cultivate an even stronger and more integrated ICT community in Québec. According to Dr. Charles Despins, President and CEO, “We are focused on the development and application of novel technologies that help deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to Québec. Through highly productive R&D partnerships with some of the most brilliant minds in Québec, we strive to help ICT companies build a better bottom line, boost their export potential, and increase their socioeconomic impact. Projects such as Equation, and upcoming digital economy initiatives that focus on building intelligent cities of the future, will help us to align these objectives. Together we can build a sustainable, connected and prosperous Québec.”

Going forward, Prompt aims to build on results achieved to date, and continue to cultivate an even stronger and more integrated ICT community in Québec.

Prompt Report 2003-2013

strategic plan. The $6 million provided by MDEIE would enable the organization to continue the implementation of its strategic plan. In addition to facilitating collaboration among universities and companies in Québec, Prompt developed strategic alliances with organizations across Canada and abroad. Targeted in its approach, Prompt focused on opportunities that offered mutual benefit and leverage to stakeholders in Québec—and to their future customers, partners and employees around the world. This included collaborations that helped give rise to Prompt’s green ICT vision for Québec.

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in good company

Information and Communications Technologies – Creating a Smarter, More Connected World and a Stronger Economy Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) are intelligent devices and systems— comprised of hardware and software—that enhance our interaction with each other and the world around us… whether we are in our home, the office or a hospital; traveling by plane, train or automobile; enjoying a rock concert, playing a video game or exploring the natural environment.

These technologies enable the collection, storage, processing, transmission and presentation of information and related services. Prompt partnerships cover a broad range of technologies from hardware and software, to components, networks and applications. This enables Prompt to build a critical mass of projects in different industry sectors including: healthcare, security, mobile services, telecommunications, smart cities, transportation and green ICT. ICT value chains are increasingly defined along these vertical markets.

Prompt focuses on the following ICT sub-sectors:

• Microelectronics—The design and manufacture

of microchips, or tiny electronic components made from semiconductors; • Photonics and optoelectronics—The science of generating and controlling light for applications; • Wireless technologies—The transmission, receipt and communication of information through radio waves in the electromagnetic spectrum; • Telecommunications networks and services— High capacity, high-speed communications systems that combine hardware, software and communications equipment and enable the associated user applications; and • Software—Programs, routines and symbolic languages that drive hardware, creating a myriad of applications used throughout society.

Software

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Microelectronics

Optics-Photonics

Wireless

The ICT industry is by far the largest contributor to innovation in Québec, investing nearly a billion dollars in research and development each year.7 With 17 universities across the province, there is an abundance of talented university graduates who fuel this innovation and the growth of this sector.

This is further enhanced by a strong innovation ecosystem that leverages government labs, innovation agencies and R&D consortia such as Prompt.

Beyond direct contributions such as aggregate sales or high paying jobs, the innovations emerging from Québec’s ICT community are driving economic growth and human progress powerfully, but indirectly, through technological convergence.

These convergent systems enable applications across all sectors, including: • Healthcare—Diagnostic and wireless devices for monitoring the physiology of patients; secure cloud-based electronic health record solutions; mobile health applications that facilitate realtime communication between physicians and patients; and novel simulation tools for medical training.

• Security—Real-time surveillance and communications systems for military personnel; ICT-based solutions that combat cybercrime; and applications that enable law enforcement personnel to report and share data in real time.

Security

M2M

Transport

Green ICT

• Mobile services—Sophisticated smartphone

and tablet applications that perform complex banking transactions, enable real-time 3D urban navigation, and connect millions of online gaming enthusiasts on mobile high definition screens.

• Machine-to-Machine—Connected machines that actually communicate directly, if not exclusively, with each other… from an intelligent meter that sends energy use data to an electrical utility’s server; or an alarm clock that verifies traffic conditions on the Web to adjust the wakeup time and the coffee maker.

• Telecommunications—Telecommunications networks that facilitate the rapid transmission of large volumes of data in an instant. With linkages to an array of wireless technologies, these networks enable cell phones, tablets and laptops to access digital services from any location, around the clock.

• Smart cities—The integration of urban structures and technologies such as social media, mobile applications and collaborative platforms that enable smart building services; automation solutions throughout the home; more efficient and intelligent traffic management and transportation systems; and high-speed broadband access for all citizens.

• Transportation—GPS-based navigation and driver assistance systems; highway traffic management solutions; intelligent public transit and emergency response systems; data analytic tools that enable drivers to make educated decisions in real time about their travel.

• Green ICT—Novel ICT solutions that improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as cloud-computing based telecommunications networks, smart power grids, and new manufacturing processes that reduce wastewater and energy consumption.

Mobiles Services

Healthcare

Telecoms

Smart Cities

Prompt Report 2003-2013

Québec is a hub for ICT innovation with more than 7,800 companies (including 5,000 SMEs) that employ more than 131,000 people and generate annual revenues of $35 billion (typically 5.1%5 of Québec’s GDP) to our economy. Over the last 11 years, the ICT sector’s annual rate of growth in terms of GDP was double that of the entire Québec economy.6

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SUCCESS STORY: Ericsson, McGill University, Concordia University

Dealing in Multiplication: PromptSupported R&D Collaboration – A Constant in Ericsson’s Innovation Equation for a Decade It is a company that supplies network equipment to more than 1,000 networks with 2.5 billion subscribers in 180 countries around the world… carries more than 40 percent of the world’s mobile traffic… boasts more than 30,000 granted patents… and generated more than $33.8 billion USD (SEK 227.8 b.) in net global sales in 2012. There is no question that Ericsson is a world-leading provider of telecommunications equipment and services. With a global R&D team comprised of 22,000 employees, including a strong R&D contingent in Montréal, Québec, this multinational firm works with some of the best ICT innovators in the world. In Canada, Ericsson has chosen to collaborate with Prompt for a decade.

Pierre Boucher Research Director, Ericsson Canada

“

Prompt has established a proven model that harnesses the knowhow of many players in Québec’s ICT industry, offers 5-to-1 leverage on R&D investment, and delivers high return. By assembling collaborative R&D projects with critical mass, Prompt is cultivating new expertise and horsepower that puts Québec on the international map – and opens-up new global market opportunities.”

It is easy to see why. Prompt brokers and supports industry-academic R&D partnerships that increase the competitiveness of ICT companies. Over the last 10 years, Ericsson has contributed to collaborative R&D projects that span network security; broadband technologies and network solutions; and green, energy-efficient information and communications technologies (ICT) that reduce carbon emissions. These initiatives have increased the innovation capacity of the Ericsson Canada R&D team, accelerating their research efforts and enhancing their contribution to Ericsson’s global product suite.

According to Pierre Boucher, Research Director at Ericsson Canada, collaboration enabled by Prompt enhances the productivity and competitiveness of his Montréal-based R&D team – and Ericsson more broadly. “Prompt has one critical mission: to build industry-university R&D partnerships that create a competitive edge in the market,” he says. “It is a model that works. Prompt not only funds new industry-academic R&D partnerships—providing significant leverage on every dollar invested— Prompt facilitates new partnerships. This brokering role is invaluable. It enables companies to identify and work with the right university and industry collaborators in a cost-effective and efficient way.”

And just as importantly, these partnerships are delivering results. They are helping Ericsson to achieve key R&D objectives – and strengthening Quebéc’s ICT sector.

For example, in 2008, Ericsson collaborated with Dr. Tho Le-Ngoc, Canada Research Chair

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in Broadband Access Communications, and Dr. Fabrice Labeau, both of McGill University; and Dr. Ferhat Khendek of Concordia University on a novel wireless project. Their goal: to design a network solution that boosts the quality and consistency of wireless service delivery for consumers who want high-bandwidth applications ‘on demand’. In an era where YouTube™, Twitter™ and Blog TV™ are streaming to more and more hand-held devices every day, the team aimed to address these user needs regardless of network condition and type of device (such as a cell phone, PDA or computer) on which the end-user receives the data stream. This team examined three different elements that contribute to the network bandwidth problem: the wireless, network and application elements. The researchers successfully designed new algorithms and network architecture that enhance the management and processing of information for bandwidth-hungry applications such as on-demand video. Ericsson continues to draw on the resulting knowledge and outcomes of this project today in the development of new wireless products.

Ericsson also collaborated with Dr. Mourad Debbabi at Concordia University on the development of a novel software tool that enables an engineer to define and build security requirements directly into the code during development. It is impossible to validate hundreds of thousands of lines of code in a standard way – and it is costly to address security challenges late in the design process. This tool allows a designer to proactively validate the security requirements and features of the code with the simple push of a button, saving time and money.

sustainable society, and the economic, social and environmental goals of the Equation Project.

These opportunities catalyzed a recent visit to Ericsson Sweden that aimed to build new linkages among engineers in Montréal and Stockholm, researchers from Québec universities, scientists at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Prompt. Engaging key Ericsson leaders, this mission featured poster sessions, presentations and matchmaking sessions, and showcased key research achievements from Ericsson’s Montréal-based team. These activities led to the establishment of several new Ericssonled multinational research projects in wireless technology.

Perhaps one of the most exciting collaborations is the Equation initiative launched in November 2011. Building on the outcomes of previous Prompt-facilitated green ICT projects, and directly supporting Ericsson’s commitment to global sustainability, Equation aims to develop and demonstrate new IT products and systems that reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption. Valued at more than $70 million, Equation establishes an industry-led green ICT R&D consortium that unites Ericsson with Québec-based partners. Working together with Prompt, these players will bring their combined expertise to bear to accelerate the development of new green ICT innovations.

As part of Equation, Ericsson is leading a subproject on ‘telco clouds’, cloud-based networks that offer the same robustness and quality of service as traditional telecommunications networks.

This includes the hardware and software required by telecommunications network operators and data centres8 to manage the network through the cloud, while reducing energy consumption. Perhaps even more promising, Ericsson aims to help data centres assess their energy usage and capitalize on renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and hydropower to operate the network. This directly supports Ericsson’s vision of a networked and

Green ICT

Software

When Pierre Boucher reflects on ten years with Prompt as a collaborator, Director and former Chair of the Board, he recalls his initial invitation to participate in this ICT consortium. He was uncertain what to expect. Within months of launching the first Prompt industry-academic project, Ericsson quickly started to see the benefits of this collaboration. Mr. Boucher and his team experienced the power of Prompt – an organization he believes is unparalleled in the ICT sector.

“Prompt has established a proven model that harnesses the know-how of many players in Québec’s ICT industry, offers 5-to-1 leverage on R&D investment, and delivers high return,” he says.

“It is challenging to find such a multiplier in this economic climate. By assembling collaborative R&D projects with critical mass, Prompt is cultivating new expertise and horsepower that puts Québec on the international map – and opens-up new global market opportunities. This increases the competitiveness of companies across our province, from SMEs to multinationals such as Ericsson. It is the reason I continue to work with Prompt today. I look forward to collaborating with the Prompt team and its many academic, industry and government partners to continually increase the impact of Prompt on Québec’s ICT industry in the next decade and beyond.”

Prompt Report 2003-2013

Ericsson aimed to ensure that software developers around the world could access this innovation to better address network security challenges. “We are providing this tool to the design community as an open source solution, enabling broad global distribution, access and benefit,” said Mr. Boucher.

According to Mr. Boucher, “This visit constitutes one of the greatest highlights of our ten-year collaboration with Prompt. We are now building on this momentum, and exploring other opportunities for global R&D collaboration in ICT. Prompt has recently engaged researchers at Ericsson China, and aims to help Québec innovators establish R&D partnerships in Asia and South America in the future.”

Security

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SUCCESS STORY: Ultra Electronics, ÉTS

Ten Years of Prompt-Supported Research Collaboration Generates New Talent, Technology and Trade When Dr. François Gagnon is conducting research, he may be looking out over the busy cityscape of downtown Montréal, or the green landscape of Mount Royal, Québec.

As the NSERC-Ultra Electronics’ Chair on Wireless Emergency and Tactical Communication, and a Professor of Engineering at ÉTS, Dr. Gagnon wears several hats – and occupies several offices. Whether he is teaching graduate students at ÉTS, developing a new military communications system in the lab, or contributing to a technology roadmapping meeting at Ultra Electronics, he is focused on a single goal: putting his engineering knowledge to work to benefit society.

From left to right: Iwan Jemczyk President, Ultra Electronics Dr. François Gagnon Professor of Engineering, ÉTS

“

Prompt enables innovation – this is definitely the greatest return on our investment in projects with ÉTS.”

This passion for innovation underpins his strong R&D partnership with Ultra Electronics, a global leader in high-capacity radio communication systems, electronic warfare and SIGINT systems. Spanning more than 14 years, this collaboration has influenced the creation of new military communications technologies, product lines and expertise at Ultra.

It has also facilitated the development of more than 80 new engineers, and cultivated a stronger talent base for Québec companies and universities. It is a partnership that harnesses the power of industryacademic R&D cooperation – and Prompt has enabled it for more than a decade.

It all started when the Director of Engineering for Canadian Marconi Corporation (CMC) paid a visit to Dr. Gagnon’s lab at ÉTS in 1997, and learned of the many novel technologies under development.

Within months, the company struck an industryacademic R&D partnership with the researcher for the collaborative development of a software defined radio (SDR) prototype.9 The success of this research cooperation quickly gave rise to a multimillion dollar contract between ÉTS and CMC, and the development of the first software defined radio product to ever be sold.

In 2001, the firm created the Industrial Research Chair in Wireless Communications – a title held

by Dr. Gagnon since its establishment. This role evolved into a jointly sponsored Industrial Research Chair with NSERC in 2009. When Ultra purchased CMC Electronics, in 2003, there was no question – the research collaboration with Dr. Gagnon and the ÉTS team would remain a staple in their R&D strategy.

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This powerful research cooperation caught the attention of Dr. Charles Despins, President and CEO of Prompt, and a long-standing colleague of Dr. Gagnon’s since the early nineties. While working in the private sector in 2001, Dr. Despins teamed-up with Dr. Gagnon, along with other academics and industry representatives, to define the Prompt model. The initial collaboration between ÉTS and Ultra served as a blueprint for R&D partnerships.

When Prompt was established in 2003, Dr. Gagnon was formulating his next big R&D challenge. He aimed to deliver significant value to Ultra, increase the research capacity of ÉTS, and accelerate the development of the next generation of highly trained engineers in Québec. Recognizing the value of Prompt as an R&D broker and catalyst, he initiated the first of many collaborative research projects. His initial focus: the development of more robust and high bandwidth military communications technologies.

In an increasingly digitized battle space, the communications requirements of troops are constantly expanding, with demand rising for increased capability all the way down the command chain. As the global military IT, data and computing market (which includes electronic systems, products and devices used to transmit and receive video, voice and data signals for military operations) is expected to exceed US$68.6 billion by 2022, the relevance and potential impact of this project was unquestionable. Working closely with fellow research leaders from ÉTS and

Ultra’s new high performance multi-mission radio.

Once complete, this technology will have the ability to reconfigure itself in any emergency situation. It provides a simple and seamless solution for the user, enabling more reliable communication among military personnel and equipment in the field.”

According to the professor, the research outcomes achieved by ÉTS and Ultra over the last decade would not be possible without Prompt. “Prompt is unique in Québec’s innovation system as it directly supports collaborative technology development.

This is invaluable as it facilitates the creation of new expertise that benefits collaborators from academia and industry. It enables the development of a professional project team where skills and experience can be applied inside and outside the classroom.”

In radio-based communications, such as those used by the military, one antenna or communication mast sends a signal to another antenna or mast located many kilometres away. Rapidly changing obstacles and reflections frequently interrupt or distort the radio waves that travel from one antenna to the other, scrambling or destroying the information during transmission.

To address these issues, the team designed multiequalizer solutions that help to reconstruct the message and ensure that it is properly received.

They developed new algorithms and simulation techniques that could overcome many typical hurdles and help to improve the integrity of the signal. The team patented this innovation, and Ultra incorporated the learnings into the development of several military communications products.

Dr. Gagnon reinforces the value of these and other results enabled by Prompt. “Every collaborative R&D project we have undertaken has added value to all participants. The outcomes of this longstanding industry-university research collaboration earned our team an NSERC Synergy Award for innovation in 2008. Over the last few years, our research efforts culminated in the development of new technologies that enhance the capabilities of

Software

This is one of the key reasons Ultra has continued to invest in collaborative research with Dr. Gagnon and his team at ÉTS over the last 10 years. Prompt provides significant leverage on every dollar Ultra contributes to these cooperative projects, extending their R&D team and their R&D budget. According to Ultra’s President, this delivers something invaluable to the company.

“Prompt enables innovation – this is definitely the greatest return on our investment in projects with ÉTS,” Iwan Jemczyk, President of Ultra. “It is often hard to describe, but when you truly experience innovation, you know it right away. Working in collaboration with Prompt, Dr. Gagnon, his students and our seasoned engineering team, we experience this on a daily basis at Ultra. This translates into commercial benefit and global competitive advantage for our firm. Prompt facilitates the innovation that is the keystone to Ultra’s success.”

Today, you might find Dr. Gagnon sitting at his desk in Ultra’s office, contributing to an R&D meeting or mentoring a young engineer – perhaps one of the ÉTS graduates that Ultra has hired. He publishes an average of 15 papers per year, while supervising about 20 students, and performing R&D on complementary subjects such as communications through unmanned aerial vehicles. Whatever he is doing, one thing is for certain: this researcher is helping to build an engineering legacy in Québec.

Prompt Report 2003-2013

Ultra, the researcher aimed to develop solutions that enhanced the reliability of real-time military communications to increase the efficacy and safety of defence personnel. This included new ways to support high bandwidth applications such as ‘Onthe-Move video’ and ensure quality of service in any condition.

Security

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SUCCESS STORY: Green ICT

Green ICT Prompt-Supported Green ICT R&D Delivers Economic, Social and Environmental Benefits to Québec Québec is rich in renewable energy sources.

Recognized around the world for its leadership in sustainable and environmentally friendly energy production, Québec is positioning itself as a North American energy leader in hydropower and green electricity.

These natural resources – and energy sources – can be leveraged in many ways to benefit the region and its citizens.

For example, renewable power could fuel everything from the download of a movie and a cell phone call, to the operation of street lights on the road, airport control towers or a surgical procedure managed remotely by a surgeon who is thousands of miles away from the patient. Imagine these capabilities extending beyond major metropolitan centres such as Montréal to every remote community in Québec. It will take green ICT to realize this vision and enable the delivery of telecommunications and other networkbased services using renewable energy.

In October 2012, thirteen of the world’s major telecommunications providers issued a call to action for the development of virtual networks (or cloud computingbased networks) that maximize efficiency and profitability while reducing operational costs. While such a request stems purely from economic imperatives, this ‘telecommunications cloud’ also has a truly green lining as such networks unleash many possibilities to significantly increase energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Together with researchers and companies across the province, Prompt is helping Québec demonstrate leadership and create a green future powered by this smart technology. Over the last four years, Prompt has led the development and implementation of a green ICT strategy that is enabling promising R&D in this field. Downstream, the emerging innovations promise to help create an interconnected and energy-efficient society. They will also deliver a triple bottom line to Québec that includes economic, social and environmental benefits. As illustrated by the following Prompt-supported R&D initiatives, these roads lead to a green future that is powered by smart technology.

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The GreenStar Network – Lighting the Way to the First Network Powered by Renewable Energy In 2009, ÉTS led the development of a worldfirst R&D consortium of industry, universities and government agencies that aimed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from ICT services. Leveraging funding from CANARIE, ÉTS, the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC), Inocybe Technologies, Ideal Consulting and other industry and academic collaborators established the GreenStar Network (GSN).

The goal: to create the first Internet network in the world to be powered entirely by renewable energy – and deliver the same reliability as the current Internet. GSN delivered a distributed cloud computing network across Canada. It featured four data processing units based in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Québec, powered solely by water and solar energy. Prompt contributed to collaborative activities and stimulated new domestic and international partnerships with China and the United States (including New York and California) to help advance GSN goals. “In 2011, Prompt facilitated a GSN demonstration between Montréal and China that showcased the world’s first teleconferencing powered by renewable energy,” said Dr. Mohamed Cheriet, Director of the ÉTS SynchroMedia Laboratory. “This enabled participating government officials to experience how green data centres fueled by water and solar power could benefit Québec.”

Netvirt – The Virtualization Project that Launched a Start-up and Student Careers

NoviFlow – Putting Québec Engineering Students and Green ICT Expertise to Work

To operationalize energy-efficient networks, operators require new approaches and technologies that reduce carbon-emitting hardware and deliver robust computing capability. In 2009, Prompt funded Netvirt, a project led by the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) that brought together Ericsson, Inocybe Technologies and École Polytechnique de Montréal. Netvirt investigated specific opportunities and challenges presented by network virtualization. Virtualization refers to the creation of a virtual (rather than the physical) version of something, such as an operating system, server, data storage device or network.

It enables multiple computing resources to be accessed from a single server, resulting in fewer servers, less energy consumption and less maintenance.10 The Netvirt team aimed to develop new virtual network technologies that create more flexible, cost-effective and energyefficient approaches to network design and development.

Building directly on the outcomes of Netvirt, UQAM launched NoviFlow in early 2012 with two engineering students from the project. The start-up is commercializing green technology that promises to significantly reduce the power consumption in data centres over the next few years. NoviFlow is developing Software Defined Networking (SDN) solutions that shift network management capabilities from physical hardware (such as racks of servers) to a software-based application. Today, the large volume of carbon-emitting network equipment found in data centres is vastly underutilized, often operating at an average of 15 percent capacity. SDN technologies reduce the need for such hardware and maximize the usage of all network resources. NoviFlow launched its first SDN product in December 2012. The company is now collaborating with researchers from ÉTS and Inocybe, and delivering technology to Ericsson for upcoming demonstrations of its Equation cloud computing project.

“This project generated important insights, for Ericsson and Inocybe, and virtualization technologies that could be adopted by data centres to reduce carbon emissions,” said Dr. Omar Cherkaoui, Professor of Computer Science at UQAM and Netvirt Co-Leader. “It also facilitated the launch of a spinoff company from UQAM called NoviFlow.”

According to Dominique Jodoin, President and CEO of NoviFlow, “Through its support of the Netvirt project, Prompt enabled UQAM Master’s students to acquire invaluable experience with industry leaders such as Ericsson. These employees bring this expertise to bear every day at NoviFlow. The product we have developed puts us at least 12 months ahead of any competitor in the world.”

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SUCCESS STORY: Green ICT

Green ICT Ericsson – Translating a Blue Sky Vision into Green Cloud Computing Solutions

Inocybe Technologies – KickStarting a Green ICT Product Development and SME Success

Much like NoviFlow, Ericsson’s Montréalbased R&D centre is building on the outcomes of many of Prompt green ICT initiatives. Drawing on many years of R&D collaboration in this field, the multinational is leading a multimillion dollar Equation sub-project. The team aims to create a high-performance cloud computing network that provides high-speed and reliable telecommunications services – and is powered by renewable energy. As part of the Ericsson Cloud System, the company and its collaborators are developing:

In Gatineau, Québec, Mathieu Lemay is hard at work. As the CEO of Inocybe Technologies, and R&D collaborator for projects such as the GreenStar Network, Netvirt and Equation, his time and technologies are constantly in demand. This innovator and PhD candidate is accustomed to this pace. He founded Inocybe while working at the CRC in 2005. His Québec SME develops virtual network solutions that enable network operators to deliver the same computing and networking capabilities with less carbon-emitting equipment on shared infrastructure. It is a highly cost-effective approach that enables data centres and telecommunications carriers to increase their profitability, while reducing their impact on the environment.

• Software that enables the management and control of this telecommunications network from the cloud, and the ability to maximize renewable energy sources and energy efficiency; this initiative draws on concepts proposed in the GreenStar Network project; and • Specialized hardware that supports the implementation of a virtual network and reduces the overall volume of physical carbon-emitting hardware; this initiative builds directly on the outcomes of the Netvirt project.

According to Pierre Boucher, Research Director at Ericsson Canada, “The outcomes of our green ICT projects helped us to obtain a strategic mandate for the Ericsson Cloud System. This Equation project allows us to leverage funds from the Government of Québec, the expertise of local researchers and SMEs such as Inocybe, and many years of collaboration with Prompt. The resulting innovations will have far-reaching impacts on the Québec economy and society more broadly.”

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As a contributor to the Ericsson-led Equation sub-project, Mr. Lemay is currently creating software that will enable the management and control of telecommunications services offered from the cloud. His groundbreaking innovation will also allow a network operator to assess carbon emissions generated by the network infrastructure and applications managed through the cloud. This project creates an opportunity to validate the software in pre-commercial demonstrations and tests.

Mr. Lemay believes his many green ICT projects have propelled the development of his technology and his company. “For the last several years, we have worked very closely with ÉTS, Ericsson and Prompt. I believe the outcomes of our collaboration have significantly accelerated our product development. Over the coming year, we aim to put our technology and all green ICT lessons learned to work in a large-scale commercial deployment. This proof-ofconcept will position our company for many global markets – and enable us to continue growing our team.”

How Will These Green ICT Initiatives Deliver Social and Environmental Benefits to Québec?

It Takes an Integrated ICT Community to Build a Green Future for Québec

Nestled in a corner of Southeastern Québec, Magog is a small town with a big green ICT vision. The municipality of 28,000 people aims to become one of the most environmentally friendly cities in the country. Magog is exploring how green technologies could deliver economic, social and environmental benefits to the region by deploying new networking solutions, and establishing city-wide demonstrations and experiments for a variety of smart applications.

It is well suited to adopt many of the green ICT innovations enabled by Prompt – and it is taking action to create the smart city of the future.

In 2008, Prompt established a powerful vision for Québec. The organization aimed to bring the ICT community together to develop smart technologies and applications that enable a more prosperous, green future for Québec and its citizens. Working in close collaboration with its stakeholders, Prompt is translating this vision into reality. The outcomes emerging from the many green ICT R&D projects supported

by Prompt, from the GreenStar Network to Equation, speak for themselves. By combining the expertise and resources of multinationals, SMEs, universities and the Government of Québec, Prompt and the ICT community are exploiting smart technology for the economic, social and environmental benefit of Québec.

The city plans to rollout Canada’s first nextgeneration gigabit network for use by all citizens of Magog. This ultra high-speed network will be as open and accessible as the physical roads we drive on each day, as users will not be forced to purchase access or related services from traditional telecommunications providers. The network will be municipal infrastructure of the City of Magog, just like its streets, sidewalks and water pipes, and it will provide greater capabilities than the standard Internet.

Drawing on ‘fibre-to-the-home’ and wireless technology, Magog will be the first city in Canada to provide such a service to all citizens. With two near-by dams on the Magog River, and an independent utility company, the city is ideally positioned to draw on hydropower and other renewable energy sources to fuel this network.

The city will also set up living lab projects (usercentered open innovation ecosystems11) that will enable its citizens to test smart technologies and applications – including those supported by Prompt. The feedback received will help the city to make decisions about innovations that offer the greatest potential impact on families.

“The natural synergy between CRIM and Prompt has catalyzed our highly productive collaboration over the last decade. As an applied research centre in Information Technologies (IT), CRIM plays a direct and strategic role in the R&D performed

by Québec IT companies. This enables us to contribute our expertise to many Prompt projects, including Equation. Prompt has truly transformed Québec’s ICT sector by building an integrated community and stimulating industry-academic R&D that delivers results.”

Daniel Blanche, President and CEO, Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal (CRIM)

By creating an intelligent city of the future, Magog aims to cultivate and retain talent; provide high quality employment opportunities for the next generation; strengthen the local economy; and improve quality of life for citizens.

How will the city achieve these objectives?

By adopting green ICT technologies and approaches, including those developed by Prompt-supported innovators for the people of Québec. Downstream, Magog could serve as a blueprint for the creation of smart cities across Québec and underpin a digital economy strategy that serves as an example for the world.

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SUCCESS STORY: Thales, Université Laval, DRDC

‘Command and Control’ of the Human Mind: Technology Enables Fast and Effective Decision-making in High Pressure Environments

Imagine… you are an aircraft controller who guides thousands of passengers to safety each day… a search and rescue commander who deploys teams to locate victims during a natural disaster… or an Emergency Room doctor who diagnoses and treats dozens of critically ill patients in a single shift. There are consistent and countless demands on you. And you are required to make life altering decisions and take action – often in seconds.

The personnel in these roles are trained to manage intense pressure, but they require targeted, timely and precise information to perform at an optimal level. Decision Support Systems (DSS) are interactive technologies that gather, assess and categorize data; and then help users to solve problems and make decisions. With critical support from Prompt, Dr. Sébastien Tremblay, Professor of Psychology at Université Laval, aims to put these systems to work in ‘command and control’ (C2) situations. The question: can technology truly enhance our judgment and improve our decision-making capability?

From left to right: Richard Breton DRDC Richard Grenier Thales Dr. Sébastien Tremblay Université Laval

To address this challenge, Dr. Tremblay is collaborating with Thales, a leading defence contractor and a major player in global civil and commercial markets; and Defence Research and Development Canada in Valcartier (DRDC), a federal agency of the Department of National Defence that responds to the scientific and technological needs of the Canadian Forces.

SUCCESS STORY: IBM, RIM, TELUS, Université Laval, McGill University

Just What the Doctor Ordered: Improving the Productivity of Healthcare Providers – and the Quality of Patient Care

Suzanne Rochford TELUS

In Canada, it is getting more difficult for patients to get the care they need from their doctor – when they need it. According to the 2010 National Physician Survey (NPS), the increasing demands on a physician make it difficult to meet all patient requirements in a timely fashion. When coupled with skyrocketing healthcare costs, the need for more efficient approaches to healthcare delivery is greater than ever. With support from Prompt, a multidisciplinary research team aims to develop new technologies that improve the productivity of healthcare professionals – and the quality of care for patients.

As a key member of the hSITE (Healthcare Support through Information Technology Enhancements) project, a national research network funded by NSERC, Dr. Mark Coates believes ICT technology can improve healthcare workflows, patient care and safety. He aims to develop advanced wireless communications systems and applications for hospitals and homecare settings. As part of his Prompt-supported hSITE project, the professor is collaborating with fellow researchers from McGill University and Université Laval, as well as RIM, IBM and TELUS Health Solutions.

Leveraging funding from Prompt, the team is developing: • Intelligent network architecture (or the underlying framework of the network) that enables effective

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Leveraging funding from Prompt, as well as NSERC, the team aims to determine how DSS supports the human decision-making process, and develop metrics to evaluate its efficacy in C2 scenarios.

Using different simulations, DSS users will perform specific activities under observation in the lab.

Researchers will collect data about eye movement, gauge responsiveness and assess other behaviour throughout the decision-making process. “If we can understand the factors that influence human decision-making in high pressure situations, we can optimize how these systems support the user,” says Dr. Tremblay. “The metrics we produce will promote the development of DDS technology that helps skilled personnel make faster, better decisions.”

This multidisciplinary project demands expertise in engineering, psychology and cognitive sciences, and knowledge of the defence, aerospace and security sectors. According to Dr. Tremblay: “The funding provided by Prompt enabled us to assemble the right team. This includes leaders such as DRDC and Thales who brought an understanding of real world requirements, user needs and applications for this technology. This enhances the commercial potential of our results and provides industry-calibre training for our students.”

wireless communications in the complex healthcare setting. This new ‘blueprint’ will address the unique challenges of a hospital, including the need to transmit signals safely and effectively while navigating sophisticated medical equipment, electromagnetic interference and cement walls.

• Wireless technology that enables personnel and equipment tracking in the hospital. The team is investigating applications such as wearable body sensors that monitor the vital signs of patients, and provide data in real time to physicians.

• Novel data compression techniques that enable the effective transmission, storage and use of large amounts of digital data (such as high resolution medical images and video) reliably and wirelessly in the clinical environment.

• The Tomo-Bra, a novel, self-administered breast cancer detector that will enable women to detect this disease at a very early stage within their home. Designed to be an early warning system, this sensor-based bra will send pulses into the breast tissue, and help a physician to detect small tumors 6-to-10 millimetres in diametre.

The team has already completed an initial proof-of-concept.

“We are deriving significant value from our collaboration with Prompt, Université Laval and DRDC,” said Richard Grenier, Director of the Québec Office at Thales Canada Inc. “This includes access to new research talent that extends our R&D capability, and novel ideas that could enhance our product offering. We invested in this project because of the synergy with our strategic direction, and the opportunity to leverage our R&D dollars. Prompt catalyzes innovation, enables productive collaboration and multiplies industry investment. We could not accomplish our objectives without this support.”

Security

Software

The outcomes of this project will be used by Thales and DRDC in future technologies and related R&D projects for the security, defence and aerospace sectors. They will also contribute to initial design guidelines for more effective DSS technology.

“By pooling our expertise in engineering, life sciences and other fields, we are translating our collective knowledge into novel IT applications that promise to reduce the time and cost of key healthcare delivery functions and improve patient care,” Dr. Mark Coates, Professor of Engineering at McGill University. “Prompt funding enabled us to assemble the right team of highly qualified people. In addition, Prompt is helping to establish a growing R&D community that is focused on the development of ICT applications for the health sector. Our participation in this community is enabling us to forge valuable new relationships.”

“The opportunity to participate in this industryacademic research consortium has delivered significant value to TELUS as we aim to develop new innovations for the healthcare market,” said Suzanne Rochford, Director of User Centered Design, TELUS Health Solutions. “Leveraging funding and support from Prompt, this project has connected us to university talent, R&D partners and prospective customers, and allowed us to explore new ideas that we may not have otherwise identified. We see many opportunities to apply the learnings from this project to our future product development. It is a very productive and worthwhile venture for us – and it would not have been possible without Prompt.”

Healthcare

Software

Wireless

Optics-Photonics

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SUCCESS STORY: EMOVI, ÉTS, Université de Montréal

Putting a New Diagnostic Tool for Knee Injuries in the Arsenal of Physicians – and Creating New Market Opportunity for a Québec SME

Whether you are a professional athlete, or an aspiring sports star, proper knee function is essential to performance – and more broadly, to the mobility that contributes to quality of life. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is an important ligament in the knee that creates stability with motion, particularly twisting12. Every year, an estimated 200,000 ACL injuries occur annually in the United States, with approximately 95,000 ACL tears or ruptures.13 Despite the prevalence of ACL injuries, physicians are challenged to make an accurate diagnosis and recommend the best course of treatment.

Given the limited diagnostic tools available to practitioners, it is extremely difficult to accurately measure the movement of the leg bones around this complex joint. It is often considered an ‘art’ as the interpretation of results is highly subjective.

From left to right: Michelle Laflamme EMOVI Dr. Nicola Hagemeister ÉTS

Dr. Nicola Hagemeister, an Engineering Professor at ÉTS, aimed to put a new tool in the arsenal of physicians. Leveraging funding and project management support from Prompt, and working in collaboration with EMOVI (a Québec company that creates medical products for joint assessment), she developed an innovation that helps physicians to more accurately measure knee function.

Building on the outcomes of a project funded by NSERC, Dr. Hagemeister and her collaborators

SUCCESS STORY: InterDigital, Concordia University, McGill University

Taking a Byte Out of the Network to Solve the Bandwidth Crunch in the Wireless World

From left to right: Michel Desgagné InterDigital Dr. Tho Le-Ngoc McGill University Dr. Benoît Champagne McGill University Dr. Mohammad Reza Soleymani Concordia University Patrick Tooher InterDigital 24

Year over year, use of networked multimedia applications on mobile devices such as the BlackBerry™, iPhone™, and the iPad™ continue to skyrocket around the world. You Tube™ alone generates more than two billion views per day – nearly double the prime time audience of all three major broadcast networks combined. When coupled with the growing use of streaming video and TV, online gaming and other data rich services on mobile devices, it is no wonder the global mobile software market is expected to reach $79.7 billion by 201714.

As mobile multimedia usage continues to climb, so do the challenges experienced by users. The most prominent issue: the limited bandwidth to meet growing consumer demand. There are simply more and more users competing for this capacity.

This impacts the quality, speed and consistency of data transmission to the mobile device while using a multimedia application, and ultimately, the user experience.

It is a challenge that Dr. Tho Le-Ngoc, Canada Research Chair in Broadband Access Communications, and Professor at McGill University, is tackling head-on. With critical support from Prompt and NSERC, he strives to develop new ways to optimize the utilization of this finite bandwidth, and enable more users to put

evolved the capabilities of an existing harness equipped with optoelectronic sensors that assesses the movement of bones around the knee – without an invasive procedure. The team replaced costly optoelectronic sensors with cost-effective, off-theshelf MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems)based sensors that measure the acceleration and velocity of the bones that connect to the knee joint. The group integrated these new miniaturized machines into a prototype, and then analyzed the correlation between what a clinician feels when maneuvering the knee during a manual test – and what the device measured. The result: a minimal margin of error between the two data creating the potential for more accurate and standardized measurement of knee function.

will enable us to improve the functionality of our products, while reducing their cost. This fuels the continued development of our product pipeline and increases the competitiveness of our company.”

According to Dr. Hagemeister, Prompt was essential to this success. “Prompt steered us into this new area, and encouraged our team to explore MEMS-based solutions. The funding allowed us to develop a proof-of-concept prototype that we could demonstrate with clinicians. This collective support, and end-user feedback, has enabled us to achieve patentable results – and an innovation that has broad application in many sectors. There is nothing comparable on the market today.”

Healthcare

Microelectronics

It is an innovation with high commercial potential.

Highly cost-effective, off-the-shelf MEMS devices could be embedded into existing medical products for joint assessment such as those developed

by EMOVI. “Leveraging the Prompt partnership model, we established a mutually beneficial working relationship with Dr. Hagemeister and tapped her creativity as a member of our extended R&D team,” said Ms. Michelle Laflamme, President and CEO of EMOVI. “As a small firm, we simply do not have all the internal expertise required to develop such innovations. The outcomes of this project

this capacity to work. To achieve this goal, he is collaborating with InterDigital, a leading company that develops fundamental wireless technologies that are at the core of mobile devices, networks, and services worldwide; Dr. Benoît Champagne and Dr. Mohammad Reza Soleymani, Professors of Electrical and Computer Engineering at McGill and Concordia University respectively.

The team aims to improve wireless system capacity by developing advanced collaborative communications and adaptive signal processing techniques that take advantage of multiple dimensions such as time, space and user location when transmitting and receiving radio signals.

The research is done in the context of future 4G networks whereby wireless data transmission will migrate from the traditional single point-to-point system architecture to a multi-point architecture where multiple wireless nodes work together to enhance overall performance. “We want to create solutions that increase system capacity, enable service providers to maximize the utilization of available bandwidth, and deliver a consistent user experience throughout the coverage area,” says Dr. Le-Ngoc.

specializes in inventing solutions for more efficient wireless networks and creating a richer multimedia experience years ahead of market deployment,” said Michel Desgagné, former Vice President of R&D with InterDigital. “This project allows InterDigital to analyze complex technical challenges in the wireless space, and then integrate key learnings and outcomes into technology development programs. InterDigital is capitalizing on this funding because Prompt understands its business model and the associated implication for R&D partnerships.”

According to the former Vice President, “InterDigital’s collaboration with McGill and Concordia has proven invaluable on many fronts. The funding provided by Prompt allowed the company to broaden its scope of R&D, and garner about three times the value for every dollar invested on this project. InterDigital also hired a number of graduate students who gained very relevant expertise during the course of the research projects, allowing them to contribute to R&D efforts the day they joined the company.”

Telecoms

Wireless

Microelectronics

The innovative methods and algorithms that emerge from this collaborative R&D project are of keen interest to InterDigital. “InterDigital 25

SUCCESS STORY: Fujitsu Canada, Université Laval, DRDC

Creating Emergency Logistics Software that Enables Rapid Decision-Making on the Deployment of Humanitarian Aid during a Disaster – and Helps to Save Lives

When one of the most powerful earthquakes on record struck Japan in March 2011, it left trail of devastation in its wake: the tragic loss of more than 14,000 lives; the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes; destruction of critical infrastructure and a nuclear disaster that presents long-term risk to the health, environment and economy of the country. Although aid poured in from around the world, relief workers faced significant challenges as they distributed food, clean water and other supplies as quickly as possible to those who needed it most.

When natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis occur, the rapid mobilization of emergency responders and delivery of humanitarian aid is truly a matter of life and death. And with the growing need for improved logistical planning and supply chain management in disaster management, it is an issue that prompted Dr. Jacques Renaud to take action.

From left to right:

The Director of the Operations and Decision Systems Department at Université Laval aimed to develop technology that enables emergency management personnel to rapidly create the most effective logistics plan for the distribution of humanitarian aid during such crisis. Leveraging essential funding from Prompt and NSERC, and working together with Fujitsu Canada and Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)

Dr. Sébastien Paquet Fujitsu Canada Dr. Jacques Renaud Université Laval

SUCCESS STORY: TeraXion, Université de Sherbrooke, Université Laval

The Need for Speed: Combining Light and Silicon to Harness the Power of Optical Networks

From left to right: Dr. Sophie Larochelle Université Laval Yves Painchaud TeraXion Martin Guy TeraXion Alexandre D. Simard Université Laval

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In our data-driven world, we have an increasing need for speed. With an ever expanding array of technologies that connect us to people, places and things almost anywhere, anytime, there is a global race to transmit more information faster than ever.

In January 2013, Bloomberg published the 10 nations with the fastest Internet connection. Hong Kong tops the list transmitting data at 54 megabits per second, enabling the download of a two-hour movie in about four minutes15. In North America, companies such as Google are pushing the boundaries of the Internet.

In 2012, the multinational giant launched an ultrafast Internet service 100 times faster than today’s broadband connection, offering ‘instant downloads, crystal clear HDTV and endless possibilities’.

This capability is delivered by optical networks – an interconnected web of thin glass pipes or strands that use light to transmit large volumes of data very rapidly and reliably over long distances. TeraXion is developing technologies that improve the speed and capacity of these networks. As a global leader in the design and manufacture of optical components and modules, this Québec company increases the capabilities of telecommunications companies, Internet providers and end-users. Over the last decade, the firm has sold more than 100,000 optical devices to 500 customers around the world – and this number is climbing. And according to Martin Guy, Vice President of R&D, research collaboration with Université Laval and Université de Sherbrooke

in Valcartier, he has developed novel logistics management software that provides this new capability.

This highly interactive system allows emergency management personnel to enter specific information about a disaster, and retrieve targeted recommendations on the optimal deployment of humanitarian aid in such conditions. This includes guidance on the number and placement of aid distribution centres in a disaster zone; the allocation of resources to each distribution centre; and the transportation and delivery of resources to impacted areas. This data enables humanitarian workers to make rapid and informed decisions, and implement an effective action plan.

talent, we enhanced functionality and accelerated the development of the software.”

“We were delighted to respond to the Prompt Call for Projects in Public Safety,” said Dr. Sébastien Paquet, R&D Manager at Fujitsu Canada. “Our company has benefited from several networking events hosted by Prompt over the last year, and we were eager to contribute to a strategic R&D project.

The Prompt model enabled us to collaborate with researchers at Université Laval in a highly effective way and leverage our investment in this initiative. At Fujitsu Canada, we aim to beta test this innovation with customers, and integrate this software into an emergency management system in the future.”

Security

Software

With the ability to work on any personal computer, and input new information as conditions change, it is an innovation that promises to improve disaster response; accelerate the systematic deployment of humanitarian aid; and most importantly, save lives.

And according to Dr. Renaud, it would not have been possible without the support of Prompt.

“Prompt funding allowed us to explore emergency logistics as a new research area,” said Dr. Renaud.

“It enabled us to hire several highly qualified students who developed new algorithms and mathematical models that would have been difficult for us to produce on our own. By tapping student

enabled by Prompt provides the company with an undisputed innovation edge.

When TeraXion aimed to evolve its technology and strategic direction, the company engaged these Prompt-supported research partners to help deliver on its objectives. The firm sought to explore the possibilities presented by silicon photonics, an evolving technology in which data is transferred on a computer chip using light. It combines laser and silicon technology on the same chip to enable improved data processing speed, power and performance.16 The challenge: how best to capitalize on this complex technology in TeraXion’s next-generation products?

Leveraging funding and support from Prompt, TeraXion partnered with Dr. Sophie Larochelle, Canada Research in Fibre Optic Communications and Components at Université Laval on silicon photonics devices. “We conducted a series of experiments that enabled us to learn about the specific capabilities and limitations of this technology, and how to design, characterize and fabricate a working device,” said Dr. Larochelle.

“We fabricated several initial prototypes through the Nanofab at the Université de Sherbrooke. This enabled us to test our theories, better understand the advantages of silicon photonics, and identify issues that impact data transmission speed, functionality and performance.”

According to Martin Guy, this project has paid significant dividends. “We are making a strategic investment in silicon photonics to further reduce the footprint, power consumption and cost of our products. Our collaboration with Université Laval, Université de Sherbrooke and Prompt enabled us to evaluate this technology in a highly productive way, and generate promising initial results. We are now applying the resulting knowledge to our nextgeneration technology platform to further increase the speed and capabilities of optical networks, and add greater value to our customers. This is important as we pursue new business in the industrial, aerospace, defence and public safety sectors.”

Telecoms

Optics-Photonics

Mr. Guy underscores the critical role of Prompt on this project, and its contributions to the ICT industry more broadly. “Prompt enabled us to expand our R&D capacity and leverage our R&D investment in silicon photonics. This funding helped us to reduce technical risk and accelerate the development of our next-generation technology. It also allowed us to hire several student interns from Université Laval, and provide them with hands-on experience with a commercial R&D team. This helps to cultivate the engineering talent required to increase the competitiveness of Québec’s ICT sector. Prompt continues to work with us to actively explore new partnership opportunities.”

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Student Success Story: Benoît Châtelain, ÉTS, McGill University

Benoît

Châtelain

Prompting Multinationals to Build Québec-based R&D Teams with Bright Young Minds Benoît Châtelain is passionate about optical networks. As a Master’s student studying under Professor François Gagnon, Ultra Electronics’ Chair in Wireless Communication at École de technologies supérieure (ÉTS), he tackled a variety of R&D challenges facing wireless and optical companies. This research enabled him to work with some of the best photonics R&D leaders in these fields, eventually leading him to pursue a PhD with Professor David Plant, Bell Canada/NSERC Industrial Research Chair at McGill University.

From left to right: Jean Noël Ciena Benoît Châtelain ÉTS, McGill University

“

Prompt enables graduate students to work in close collaboration with industry and gain the engineering skills and experience required by companies.”

Enabled by Prompt, this research had a major impact on Mr. Châtelain’s career. In addition to learning from optical experts, it allowed him to explore and experiment with his own ideas and present his findings to industry leaders.

This showcased his talent and helped to land Mr. Châtelain a position with Ciena’s Network Engineering Centre in Montréal in 2012.

It all started with a research project that brought together researchers from ÉTS, McGill University, Ultra Electronics and Nortel. The focus: ‘long haul’ networks which transmit light signals over optical fibre cables that often span hundreds to thousands of kilometres. These thin glass pipes send massive amounts of data over very long distances, at a rate of up to 100 gigabits per second, enabling this information to be put to work in many applications.

Although this technology has evolved significantly over the last decade, network traffic is growing exponentially every year. Optical network operators are constantly seeking new ways to transmit more data, faster and more cost-effectively. It is a challenge that inspired this team to investigate ways to improve optical network capacity and performance.

Together with Professor Plant and other research collaborators, Mr. Châtelain aimed to discover new ways to maintain the integrity of the signal as it travels through the optical fibre. Light can become

Student Success Story: Frédéric Plourde, ÉTS

Frédéric

Plourde

Kick-starting Careers and Growing Québec’s Technology Industry If you ask Frédéric Plourde about the value of his postgraduate studies at ÉTS, he will tell you he received far more than a Master’s Degree. While working under the supervision of Drs. Claude Thibeault and François Gagnon, the student had the opportunity to contribute to a Prompt-supported R&D project, opening-up a world of possibilities.

Frédéric Plourde ÉTS InterDigital

“

Prompt funded my role on this collaborative research. I am very grateful as this project kickstarted my career with Octasic.”

Together with his professors, Mr. Plourde aimed to address some key R&D challenges facing a Montréal semiconductor company called Octasic.

Throughout the research project, he worked closely with these industry leaders to understand their product, customer and business. While he collaborated on engineering solutions with the firm, he never realized his research was ‘on-the-job’ training.

Mr. Plourde knew one thing for certain: he was challenged and motivated by the work he performed during the two-year project. It created the potential to gain industry-relevant skills and experience, augmenting the valuable knowledge he acquired in the classroom. For example, he was responsible for the development of a new algorithm (or step-bystep process) for a digital signal processor (DSP).

Embedded in devices such as cell phones that receive and transmit information, DSP technology rapidly analyzes and processes incoming radio signals, and then produces high quality data in real time. This data may take the form of an image (such as the pictured produced by a TV or heart monitor); a sound (such as music through an iPod); or measurement (such as the magnitude of an earthquake or level of activity in the human brain).

It is an essential and enabling technology for semiconductor companies that design and manufacture silicon-based electronics devices.

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distorted as its flows through the glass pipes, disrupting data transmission and reducing network function. The doctoral student explored different ‘waveforms’ (or ways to shape the light) that could preserve the strength of the signal and ensure reliable transmission as it moves from one end of the fibre to the other. He successfully identified specific waveforms that make optical systems more tolerant to distortion, boosting the overall performance of the network. From 2008 to 2011, the PhD student presented his research results at the largest optical fibre communications conference in the world: OFC. The outcomes of his research piqued the interest of Ciena Corporation.

With more than 4,000 employees and 1,000 customers around the world, Ciena offers leading network infrastructure solutions, intelligent software and a comprehensive services practice. The company benefited directly from the research performed by Mr. Châtelain. “It equipped us with greater insight on the value of different waveforms, and how they could be used to improve network capacity and performance – some of the greatest challenges we face in our industry,” said MarcAntoine de Santis, Director, Regional Network Services, Ciena Montréal. “We shared this knowledge with our R&D team, and applied some of these techniques to innovations currently under development.”

This includes Octasic Inc., a privately held company, headquartered in Montréal, that provides media and wireless baseband processing silicon and software solutions to customers around the world.

As part of the industry-academic project supported

by Prompt, Mr. Plourde designed algorithms and design methodologies for a new DSP that addressed the specific needs of Octasic. Having acquired extensive knowledge on third generation or ‘3G’ wireless technology, he created a new methodology for the development of DSPs for Octasic wireless applications. The algorithm corrects signal errors, helping to maximize product performance. And his innovation doesn’t simply target one particular product. It works with the technology platform that underpins Octasic’s entire wireless product portfolio. This increased the value of the new methodology for the company and its customers. Octasic integrated the new algorithm into its products in 2008. Shortly thereafter, they hired its designer.

According to Mr. Plourde, this research project provided him with the hands-on experience required to hit the ground running as Octasic’s newest embedded software developer. “Working closely with R&D leaders, this research enabled me to gain a unique understanding of Octasic’s technology platform, existing algorithms and DSP requirements.

This allowed me to develop a new methodology

Building on his research success, Ciena hired the student into the Montréal-based network engineering team where he is focused on undersea cable systems and submarine networks. “Mr. Châtelain’s research experience created a distinct advantage for Ciena,” said Mr. de Santis. “He consistently proposes new ways to push the limits of our technology, improve our product performance and further automate our lab process for field deployment. Our ability to recruit highly qualified, bright young minds such as Benoît Châtelain is a key driver to Ciena’s success in the Québec innovation ecosystem.”

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Optics-Photonics

According to Mr. Châtelain, “Prompt enables graduate students to work in close collaboration with industry and gain the engineering skills and experience required by companies. Prompt R&D projects focus on real world challenges. This industry-calibre training increases the potential for recruitment and creates new opportunities to perform rewarding work with world-class companies. I benefit from this experience every day in my role with Ciena.”

that meets their needs and helps to improve their product. This know-how also increased my value as a new recruit. Prompt funded my role on this collaborative research. I am very grateful as this project kick-started my career with Octasic.”

“Prompt R&D projects create a unique opportunity for a Québec-born company like Octasic to sustain its growth locally by sourcing, custom training and recruiting some of the brightest young engineers in the province,” said Emmanuel Gresset, Vice President of Wireless R&D at Octasic. “Leveraging funding provided by Prompt, we established a timely and relevant project with Mr. Plourde that addressed specific R&D challenges in our wireless portfolio.

We incorporated the resulting algorithm into our products, and then hired its inventor into our R&D team. Today, Mr. Plourde continues to draw on his Prompt experience and make a productive contribution to our firm.”

Telecoms

Software

Microelectronics

Frédéric Plourde feels privileged to be pursuing his engineering passion with a Montréal company that develops novel wireless applications, and one of the few companies in Canada that develops their own DSP technology. With contributions to several world-class products behind him, this Québec innovator strives to leave his mark on the global semiconductor industry.

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Student Success Story: Yan Basile-Bellavance, École Polytechnique de Montréal

Yan

BasileBellavance

Prompt-Supported Training and Mentorship Inspires Student to Launch New Ventures When Yan Basile-Bellavance started his Master’s degree at École Polytechnique de Montréal in 2007, he was uncertain of his future career path. He was fascinated by engineering, but didn’t know exactly where he wanted to go. At the beginning of his engineering studies, he had never considered the possibility of launching a business or becoming an accomplished entrepreneur.

Yan Basile-Bellavance École Polytechnique de Montréal

“

The hands-on training and mentorship provided by Drs. Savaria and Blaquière during this project inspired me to launch my own business.”

It is hard to believe as the innovative student earned top honors in the service category of the Québec Entrepreneurship Contest in 2010, defeating more than 250 other start-ups. With a mission to foster entrepreneurship across the province, the competition recognized Mr. Basile-Bellavance and his partners for creating and growing a successful Montréal energy management business. With the launch of a second start-up under his belt, he credits much of his entrepreneurial drive to the valuable experience he acquired during a Promptsupported research project called DreamWafer.

Among the most provocative R&D initiatives supported by Prompt, this project pushes almost every technological and market boundary. With an unrelenting stream of brainstorming sessions, business discussions and challenging tasks, DreamWafer served as an ideal training ground for this future industry leader. After all, it enabled Mr. Basile-Bellavance to work with some of the greatest microelectronics leaders in Québec.

Leveraging funding from Prompt, TechnoCap and other investors, this project brings together Richard Norman, technology innovator and entrepreneur; Richard Prytula, Chairman and Founder of TechnoCap; and Drs. Yvon Savaria and Yves Blaquière, Professors and research leaders from École Polytechnique de Montréal and Université du Québec à Montréal respectively.

RESEARCHER Success Story: Dr. Jacques Beauvais, Université de Sherbrooke

Jacques

Beauvais

Dr. Jacques Beauvais Université de Sherbrooke InterDigital

“I had the privilege of contributing to the creation of Prompt in 2003. As a researcher at the Université de Sherbrooke, I helped to prepare the first proposal submitted to Valorisation-Recherche Québec to secure initial funding for Prompt. Once established, I was among many researchers who benefited directly from this ICT R&D consortium.

“

Prompt served as an essential catalyst for these internationally recognized capabilities in microsystems R&D. Over the last decade, Prompt has enabled universities, SMEs and multinationals to work together in a highly productive way.”

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For example, Prompt supported early-stage nanofabrication technology research that brought together Quantiscript, a Sherbrooke start-up, and researchers from Université Laval, McGill University and Université de Sherbrooke. The outcomes of this project led to the development of advanced lithography (etching) and fabrication processes for photonic devices. Although the company concluded in 2006, it directly contributed to the creation of world-class micro/ nanofabrication expertise at the Université de Sherbrooke. Prompt served as an essential catalyst for these internationally recognized capabilities in microsystems R&D. As a former researcher and entrepreneur, and in my current role as Vice Rector, Research, I can attest to the value of Prompt for both academia and industry. Over the last decade, Prompt has enabled universities, SMEs and multinationals to work together in a highly productive way. In addition to reducing key barriers in research collaboration,

These microelectronics experts are collaborating on the development of the first microelectronics rapid prototyping system of its kind in the world.

Resembling a sandwich maker, the ‘WaferBoard’ platform will enable an engineer to create functional electronic proof-of-concept prototypes more rapidly than ever before. Design, simulation and test functions that once demanded months of engineering effort will be completed within minutes.

This innovation promises to revolutionize a key part of the global electronics industry. It also played a key role in defining the entrepreneurial future of Mr. Basile-Bellavance.

Under the supervision of Drs. Savaria and Blaquière, the student joined the DreamWafer team in 2007 and developed a novel algorithm or process that improves fault tolerance in an electronic system.

If just one of the physical wires in an integrated circuit encounters a fault or short that prohibits the transmission of one electrical signal, the entire chip fails to work. “I might compare it to a string of Christmas lights that requires all bulbs to function before it will illuminate,” said Mr. Basile-Bellavance.

To address this issue, the young engineer developed a procedure that enables a designer to create a circuit that repairs such faults itself. His proposed method is an important part of a patent under review. It has also been incorporated into the latest version of the DreamWafer.

this ICT R&D consortium also offers significant leverage on every dollar invested. This attracts high calibre players, and enables the conduct of industry-led projects that generate results. This includes new applications in priority sectors such as life sciences, public safety, energy and environment.

Downstream, the commercialization of these research outcomes increases the competitiveness of Québec, and delivers economic and social benefits to citizens across the province. Today, I am proud to serve as a Board Member of this organization.”

According to Mr. Basile-Bellavance, “The handson training and mentorship provided by Drs. Savaria and Blaquière during this project inspired me to launch my own business. We consistently discussed technology challenges, market opportunities and customer requirements. This enabled me to learn as much about business as microelectronics. I have drawn extensively on this guidance and applied it to my new ventures.

Prompt enabled me to contribute to this innovative project and benefit from leading microelectronics R&D experts and technology innovators.”

Mr. Basile-Bellavance has put this experience to work in two start-ups. In 2009, he and three partners launched Inovae, an environmental solutions company that helps clients to reduce energy management costs, while increasing energy efficiency. In less than one year, the firm had acquired 20 customers and achieved strong revenue growth. Building on this experience, he launched a new wireless solutions firm in Northern Québec. It will provide mining and resource management companies in remote regions with cost-effective and reliable high-speed Internet access. Although this start-up is just getting off the ground, Mr. Basile-Bellavance aims to apply his knowledge to his latest venture. If his track record is any indication, it is bound to be a success.

Green ICT

Wireless

Microelectronics

Optics-Photonics

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in good company Industry-university Major R&D Projects Supported by Prompt: 2010-2013 INDUSTRY PARTNERS PROJECT

$300,000

$370,000

$300,000

$2,932,382

$3,902,382

Université de Sherbrooke (PI*: Dr. Luc Fréchette), Cégep de Sherbrooke

$250,000

$284,000

$250,000

$500,000

$1,284,000

Université de Sherbrooke (PI*: Dr. Réjean Fontaine), UQO

$835,000

$135,000

$300,000

$1,046,744

$2,316,744

Université Laval (PI*: Dr. Philippe Corbeil), Cégep de SaintHyacinthe, Université de Montréal, Institut de Recherche Robert Sauvé en Santé et en Sécurité

$125,494

$250,988

$628,936

$252,184

$685,564

$903,400

$3,420,400

$126,960

$125,494

UQAT (PI*: Dr. Gilles Delisle), Cégep de TroisRivières

$207,660

$50,720

$175,000

Université de Sherbrooke (PI*: Dr. Andrew Grant), Hôpital MaisonneuveRosemont

$1,500,000

$417,000

$600,000

Novel MIMO System for Optimum LOS (Line-of-Sight)/NLOS (Non-Line-of-Sight) Links for Future Advanced Wireless-Underground Mines-Communications Télébec, MPB Communications

*PI: Principal Investigator

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McGill University (PI*: Dr. Mark Coates), Université Laval

NSERC/SIEMENS Industrial Research Chair in Informatics and Diagnostics Siemens, SAND

PROJECT

Total Investment

Wireless Parameter Acquisition and Processing for Improved Energy Efficiency and Reduced GHG Emissions in Trains Télébec Mobilité, RGD2, Bombardier, Thales

PROJECT

nserc

Development of a Measurement System to Quantify the Dynamics of Lower Limbs in Daily Activities Ergorecherche, Clinique du pied Équilibre

PROJECT

PROMPT

High Performance Positron Emission Tomography Scanner Gamma Medica, Excelitas

PROJECT

INDUSTRY IN-kind

Performance Assessment of a High Efficiency 1000x Concentrated Photovoltaic (CPV) System TechnoCap, Hydro-Sherbrooke

PROJECT

INDUSTRY Cash

hSITE: Healthcare Support through Information Technology Enhancements RIM, TELUS, IBM

PROJECT

institutional partners

UQAT (PI*: Dr. Mourad Nedil), INRS, UQO

$240,000

$111,000

$240,000

$351,000

$942,000

Total Value of Project Portfolio: $25,434,823 Prompt Investment: $ 4,049,219 Industry Cash: $5,882,504 NSERC Investment (during the two-year term of Prompt-supported projects): $10,190,911 Other Investment: $5,312,189 INDUSTRY PARTNERS

$460,000

$907,280

$460,000

$740,000

$2,567,280

Université Laval (PI*: Dr. Sébastien Tremblay), Université de Montréal

$195,000

$179,400

$135,000

$224,330

$733,730

Université de Sherbrooke (PI*: Dr. Paul Charrette), École Polytechnique de Montréal

$900,000

$1,792,389

$765,000

$1,563,815

$5,021,204

Université de Montréal (PI*: Dr. Mickaël Begon), École Polytechnique de Montréal

$97,500

$24,000

$97,500

$75,640

$294,640

École Polytechnique de Montréal (PI*: Dr. Yvon Savaria), UQAM, UQO

$340,000

$367,200

$169,375

$600,000

$1,476,575

Integrated Tracing, Profiling and Debugging for Tuning Large Heterogeneous Clusters Ericsson, Revolution Linux

PROJECT

ÉTS (PI*: Dr. René Landry), Université de Sherbrooke

DreamWafer (WaferBoard for Aerospace Industry) TechnoCap, CMC Electronics

PROJECT

total INvestment

Development of an Optoelectronic Tool to Assess the Shoulder Structure and Required Orthopedic Systems Médicus, VLAM

PROJECT

nserc

Infrared Imager Teledyne DALSA, SPTS Technologies

PROJECT

PROMPT

Tracking Agility and Self-Synchronization in Crisis Managment (TASSCM) CAE, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC)

PROJECT

INDUSTRY IN-kind

Vehicle Tracking and Accident Diagnostic System (VTADS) iMetrik, Future Electronics

PROJECT

INDUSTRY CAsh

École Polytechnique de Montréal (PI*: Dr. Michel Dagenais), ÉTS

$251,850

$235,440

$251,850

$438,000

$1,177,140

Silicon Photonic Modulators for Advanced Modulation Formats in Data Centre Applications TeraXion, CMC Microsystems

Université Laval (PI*: Dr. Sophie Larochelle), McGill University

$180,000

$311,800

$180,000

$312,428

$984,228

Prompt Report 2003-2013

PROJECT

institutional partners

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in good company

our citizens. This is the reason Prompt has helped to build global R&D bridges between Québec and innovation leaders in the US, China and other nations around the world. By targeting shared areas of R&D priority, such as the environment, climate change and e-Health17, we can achieve our collective goals faster and deliver even greater benefits to the people of Québec.

Québec and California Join Forces on Green ICT Research to Help Slow Climate Change

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By targeting shared areas of R&D priority, such as the environment, climate change and e-Health, we can achieve our collective goals faster and deliver even greater benefits to the people of Québec.”

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Prompt – Helping Québec Innovators Open Doors to Global R&D Capabilities and Markets In a highly multidisciplinary landscape and interconnected global economy, international R&D partnerships represent an important element in Québec’s innovation ecosystem. It is often challenging for Québec researchers, entrepreneurs and firms to find the right expertise, secure investment and access new markets. International R&D partnerships open-up a world of possibilities for innovators across Québec. It creates the potential to leverage research capabilities, resources and investment abroad that add value to projects, products and businesses here at home.

Moreover, global R&D collaborations often facilitate access to new markets that help innovators generate international revenues that build the local economy. And a stronger economy leads to a greater quality of life and greater opportunity for

With support from the Canada-California Strategic Innovation Partnership (CCSIP), Prompt, together with McGill University, the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CALIT2) at University of California (UC) San Diego, established a business plan for a cross-border R&D consortia in green ICT (or environmentally sustainable computing18). This team brought together 10 Canadian universities, two UC campuses and CANARIE, Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network, to explore how ICT could be intelligently applied to slow the rate of global warming. The multidisciplinary team hosted two bilateral workshops to exchange ideas and information, and explored opportunities for mutually beneficial R&D collaboration in green ICT. This enabled Québec innovators to draw on capabilities, resources and expertise in California as part of their green ICT research endeavors. The outcomes of this high visibility project and other related initiatives eventually led to the selection of Prompt as coordinator of the Equation project launched in November 2011.

Jerry Sheehan, Chief of Staff, California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (CALIT2), University of California, San Diego

Left picture: Dr. John Hepburn, UBC (left), Dr. Charles Despins, Prompt (centre) and Mr. Jerry Sheehan, University of California (right), sign an agreement at the 2008 CCSIP Summit in Montréal to explore bilateral green ICT solutions.

Right picture: Jacques Mc Neill (left) speaks with a delegate at the World Cafe during the 2012 ITU Symposium.

Promoting Québec as a Global Green ICT Leader in Partnership with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) of the United Nations Over the last several years, Prompt has also promoted Québec’s leadership and expertise in green ICT on the global stage, helping to stimulate new international partnerships for Québec universities and companies. The organization has contributed to several world renowned technology events that showcase how Québec innovators are leveraging ICT to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help slow global warming.

This includes conferences hosted by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for issues related to information and communication technologies. For example, Dr. Charles Despins, President and CEO of Prompt, served as the sole Canadian speaker at the ITU’s inaugural Symposium on ICTs and Climate Change hosted in Tokyo, Japan in 2008. The following year, Jacques Mc Neill, current Equation Project Coordinator, delivered an important presentation to 400 industry and academic representatives at this same conference in Quito, Ecuador.

In May 2012, Prompt attracted this important event to Montréal, Québec and hosted the seventh ITU Symposium on ICTs, the Environment and Climate Change. This symposium brought together hundreds of representatives from industry, academia and government to explore how green ICT solutions could help to monitor and slow the rate of climate change. The symposium stimulated important dialogue on the Equation Project funded by the Government of Québec and other green ICT initiatives facilitated by Prompt.

“

Collaboration with international partners is essential to address this global sustainability issue. Given our relatively small population, we must cooperate with other jurisdictions to build an international and interconnected green ICT community with critical mass. This is required to influence change and mobilize action with real impact.”

Mr. Jacques Mc Neill Equation Project Coordinator Prompt

Prompt Report 2003-2013

“

Prompt has proven to be an invaluable asset in our efforts to work with global leaders and create green technologies that will help society move towards a lower carbon future. The organization serves as a trusted broker among the public, private and non-profit sectors, and facilitates the collaboration required to create scalable solutions to key societal challenges. Prompt is a powerful advocate and agent for change that has enabled us to amplify the impact of our research.”

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Dr. Charles Despins, Prompt (centre, back row) meets with Chinese members of the Québec-China e-Health R&D project team at BUPT in Beijing, China. He is joined by Dr. Guixia Kang, BUPT (second from left); Mr. Jiangong Li (left), Mr. Jianyu Li (right) and Dr. Shuhui Ma (front), from China Unicom’s Broadband Service Applications Engineering Laboratory.

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Québec-China R&D Project Accelerates the Development of e-Health Technologies In 2010, Prompt launched a novel QuébecChina R&D project that aimed to accelerate the development and application of wireless e-Health technologies, and help to improve the quality of healthcare while reducing associated delivery costs.

Created following extensive partnership development activities in China by Prompt, this industry-academic R&D partnership is led by McGill University and Bell Canada in Québec, and by the Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications (BUPT) and China Unicom, a telecommunications giant in China. With a strong focus on technology transfer, this project could help to bring ICTs from the lab to the clinic on both sides of the globe, and enable participating companies to exploit the worldwide e-Health and Services market.

The Québec-China team aims to combine wireless e-Health solutions that leverage information from biomedical devices and sensors used for localization of personnel and equipment in clinical environments, and put them into practice in healthcare facilities across Québec and China.

Researchers employed quality and efficiency workflows and measures to evaluate the impact of these technologies on healthcare delivery.

They initially focused on three high potential markets for e-Health applications: telemedicine; homecare; and remote patient monitoring. The project emerged from the second Québec-China joint Call for Proposals between the Ministère du Développement Économique de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation (MDEIE) and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in China.

Pursuing Future Global R&D Opportunities that Benefit QuÉbec The world of R&D is becoming increasingly complex as disparate scientific disciplines, technologies and industrial sectors converge, creating powerful new R&D capabilities and relationships. To fully capitalize on the economic and social benefits of this convergence, innovators must engage in global R&D cooperation. The resulting applications have the potential to address key challenges facing Québec and other jurisdictions. International collaboration provides access to new R&D capabilities, resources and expertise that accelerate the commercialization of new technologies, open-up new global markets and help strengthen domestic policy. Prompt is committed to helping Québec seize these opportunities.

and standards experts. The emerging standards will help the ICT industry to better quantify the economic and environmental benefits of different green technologies.

This will help companies and policy-makers in Québec and other jurisdictions to make educated decisions and investments in the most impactful green ICT solutions.

These are just a few of the ways that Prompt aims to help Québec capitalize on the benefits of international R&D collaboration going forward. It is an important endeavor.

With an increasingly interconnected research ecosystem and economy, the future is global. Prompt is helping to position Québec as an ideal international R&D partner, and stimulating foreign opportunities and investments that build our economy and society.

For example, Prompt is continuing to help GreenStar Network (GSN) leaders build new international linkages and partnerships with California, Europe and China that advance GSN goals. This could accelerate the creation of the first Internet network in the world to be powered entirely by renewable energy – right here in Québec.

Prompt is helping to position Québec as an ideal international R&D partner, and stimulating foreign opportunities and investments that build our economy and society.

Prompt Report 2003-2013

Prompt is also strengthening its strategic relationship with the ITU. Olivier Munger, Prompt Project Development Advisor, is participating in ITU initiatives that aim to develop the first global ICT standards to help build a green economy. As a knowledgeable representative of Québec’s ICT community, Mr. Munger is sharing important insights and recommendations with esteemed colleagues from around the world. This includes leading specialists in the field from top policy-makers to engineers, designers, planners, government officials, regulators

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Board of directors, 2012-2013 Industries Universities Observers

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1. Michel Desgagné, President, Groupe Zinnovia (Chairman of the Board) 2. Pierre Boucher, Research Director, Ericsson Canada 3. Mike Cegelski, Executive Chairman, iBwave Solutions 4. Dr. Charles Despins, President and CEO Prompt 5. Iwan Jemczyk, President, Ultra Electronics 6. Louis Labelle, Director, Bromont Plant, IBM Canada 7. Dr. Richard Norman, President, DreamWafer 8. Yves Pelletier, Vice-President, Alithis 9. Salvatore Rodi, Managing Director, Evandro

10. Dr. Jacques Beauvais, Vice-Rector, Research, Université de Sherbrooke 11. Dr. Claude Bédard, Dean of Research and Technology Transfer, École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) 12. Daniel Blanche, President and CEO, Centre de Recherche en Informatique de Montréal (CRIM) 13. Dr. Sophie D’Amours, Vice-Principal Research and Creation, Université Laval 14. Dr. Gilles Savard, Director, Research and Innovation, École Polytechnique de Montréal 15. Geneviève Tanguay, Vice-Rector of Research, Creation and Innovation, Université de Montréal 16. Marco Blouin, Director Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie, Gouvernement du Québec 17. Maryse Lassonde, Scientific Director, Fonds de recherche du Québec – nature et technologies

Investment Committee

INDUSTRY MEMBERS

All industry-university R&D partnership proposals are pre-evaluated by Prompt’s Investment Committee prior to the peer review conducted by NSERC. This advisory committee performs a non-technical evaluation of all applications. This is based on criteria related to the quality of the partnership; the company’s commitment to the project; and the potential impact on the company, the university and Québec in general. The Investment Committee is chaired by a member of Prompt’s Board of Directors and consists of five voting members. Its recommendations are forwarded to the Board for final decisions on project funding. Investment Committee members include:

A company becomes a member of Prompt when it makes a cash contribution to a project. The membership remains active for one year following the completion of the project. As of February 2013, Prompt’s industry members include:

Alan Bernardi, Director General, Language Technologies Research Centre (LTRC) Dr. Paul Fortier, Professor, Université Laval Jean-Louis Legault, President, Association for Research Development and Innovation in Québec (ADRIQ) Salvatore Rodi, General Manager, Evandro

Observer Marco Blouin, Director, Ministère de l’Enseignement supérieur, de la Recherche, de la Science et de la Technologie, Gouvernement du Québec

Committee Secretary Josée Dagenais, Operations Director, Prompt

Bell Aliant Bell Canada Bombardier CAE Electronics CGI Ericsson Canada Fujitsu Canada Gestion TechnoCap Hydro Sherbrooke IBM Canada Inocybe Technologies InterDigital

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Miranda Technologies Octasic OSEMI RDG2 RIM SAND Technologies Siemens Teledyne DALSA TELUS TeraXion Thales Ultra Electronics

UNIVERSITY MEMBERS • • • • • • • • • • • • •

ÉTS École Polytechnique de Montréal INRS Concordia University Université Laval McGill University Université de Montréal Université de Sherbrooke UQAT UQAM UQAR UQO UQTR

PARTNER MEMBERS • Centre collégial de transfert technologique en optique-photonique (OPTECH) • Centre collégial de transfert de technologie en télécommunications (C2T3) • Centre d’innovation en microélectronique du Québec (CIMEQ) • Centre de recherche informatique de Montréal (CRIM) • Defence Research and Development Canada • Institut national d’optique (INO) • MiQroInnovation Collaboration Centre

Prompt Report 2003-2013

Richard Norman, Chairman of the Investment Committee, President, DreamWafer

• • • • • • • • • • • •

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REFERENCES

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1.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1054191/aqt-barometer-the-ict-industry-is-on-the-lookout-for-new-opportunities

2.

http://www.ictc-ctic.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/ICTC_QUEBEC_LabourMarketReport_2013.pdf

3.

http://www.economie.gouv.qc.ca/objectifs/informer/par-secteur-dactivite/technologies-de-linformation-et-descommunications/

4.

The Equation project is detailed under separate cover in the 2012 Equation Annual Report.

5.

http://www.economie.gouv.qc.ca/objectifs/informer/par-secteur-dactivite/technologies-de-linformation-et-descommunications/

6.

http://www.economie.gouv.qc.ca/objectifs/informer/par-secteur-dactivite/technologies-de-linformation-et-descommunications/page/le-secteur-10878/?tx_igaffichagepages_pi1%5Bmode%5D=single&tx_igaffichagepages_ pi1%5BbackPid%5D=158&tx_igaffichagepages_pi1%5BcurrentCat%5D=&cHash=cdbfbae7219be0726f8d15506bf070a0

7.

http://www.economie.gouv.qc.ca/objectifs/informer/par-secteur-dactivite/technologies-de-linformation-et-descommunications/page/le-secteur-10878/?tx_igaffichagepages_pi1%5Bmode%5D=single&tx_igaffichagepages_ pi1%5BbackPid%5D=158&tx_igaffichagepages_pi1%5BcurrentCat%5D=&cHash=cdbfbae7219be0726f8d15506bf070a0

8.

Facilities that house computer systems and associated components, such as telecommunications systems; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_centre

9.

SDR is a radio communication system where components that are typically implemented in hardware (such as mixers, filters, amplifiers, etc.) are implemented on a personal computer or embedded system using software; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software-defined_radio

10.

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2012/10/what-virtualization

11.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_lab

12.

http://houghtonphysicaltherapy.com/RehabPrograms/ACLInjuries.aspx

13.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/89442-overview

14.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/4/prweb8310947.htm

15.

http://www.bloomberg.com/slideshow/2013-01-23/top-10-countries-with-the-fastest-internet.html

16.

http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/silicon-photonics

17.

e-Health refers to healthcare practice supported by electronic processes and communication; it encompasses electronic health records; telemedicine; consumer health informatics; health knowledge management; virtual healthcare teams; mHealth (the use of mobile devices to collect aggregate and patient-level health data); and healthcare information systems. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-health

18.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_ICT

Prompt Report 2003-2013

Financing ICT R&D

Prompt 1155, University Street, Suite 903 Montreal (QC) H3B 3A7 514 875-0032 info@promptinc.org