Newsletter – November 2019

Technoparc Montréal is proud to have hosted the Table ronde sur l’opportunité numérique africaine at our Alfred-Nobel Innovation Center. The participants came from different countries in Africa and some Montreal and Technoparc companies. Presented by Mr Karl Miville de Chêne from Contacts Monde, the Round Table provided a good premise for what will be proposed to the participants of the Salon international des technologies de l’information et de la communication Afrique-Canada 2019 which will take place from the 12th to the 13th of November 2019 at the Plaza Downtown Montreal. Companies wishing to participate in this show can obtain all the information via this link.

Technoparc Montréal is proud to participate at the 29th Gala des Prix Innovation of the ADRIQ-RCTi, as the presenter of the evening. This event underlines the companies and builders who give a leading role to research and innovation. The ADRIQ-RCTi Innovation Awards Gala, recognized as the most prestigious event of the Quebec innovation community, will take place on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal. Note that the NEOMED Innovation Center is a finalist for the 2019 Life Sciences Innovation Award, which will be presented again by BIOQuébec and Innovative Medicines Canada.
More than 450 decision-makers from the research and innovation ecosystem and renowned guests are expected. Click this link for more information or to participate

Technoparc is pleased to have hosted a Canadian-Chinese delegation from collaborative efforts with Canada China Small and Medium Enterprises (CCSME). Participants from the delegation visited the Technoparc with the goal of setting up a clean technology research center. The quality of life at the Technoparc and the support provided by our team was greatly appreciated and plans to move-in shortly where elaborated. A good example of collaboration with the CCPME organization with which we intend to intensify our relations!

On October 25, 2019 took place the RDV de l’écocitoyen corporatif in which Technoparc Montréal acted as the host of the event. This morning of exchange aimed to equip the entrepreneurs who have not yet followed the step of sustainable development and to present solutions to them so that their company is effective and efficient, while capitalizing on eco-responsible practices. The participants were able to meet with Saint-Laurent entrepreneurs, leaders in sustainable development, who shared their best practices and answered their questions. They were also able to hear a Q&A with Mr. Luc Duguay of Développement Économique Saint-Laurent (DESTL) and Mr. Carl Baillargeon of Technoparc Montréal, listen to an inspiring speech by Mr. Alan DeSousa, Mayor of the Borough of Saint-Laurent and attend a lecture given by Ms. Marie-Josée Richer, co-founder of Prana. Very nice event organized by the DESTL team. Mark your calendar for next year!

Last month, the NEOMED Innovation Center (NIC) visited the Brazilian pharmaceutical head-office of Prati-Donaduzzi in the city of Toledo, in the province of Parana. There were two main objectives during this visit. The first was to provide support and collaboration for their Biopark Brasil development project, which takes inspiration from several practical and technical aspects of the Technoparc de Montréal and the NIC, the Life Sciences and Health Technologies (LSHT) Hub of Montreal. A federal university is already established and a second building is currently under intensive construction. Ultimately, the Biopark will expand to more than 50M square feet, hosting more than 30,000 science and technology employees. The second was to follow up on the recent visit of Prati-Donaduzzi senior executives to the NIC in Montreal. The company is the largest manufacturer and distributor of generic medicines in Brazil and is looking to expand its operations in North America. The on-site meetings between the two organizations surely helped to make this project evolve in a positive way, with Montreal becoming one of the first choice for their expansion. A great way to share expertise and intensify future collaborations.

To celebrate, participate in the REM contest “Suggest a name for the TBM”. It is a tradition in the construction industry to give these impressive machines a name. They did this a few months ago for the two launching beams “Anne and “Marie”; now it’s your turn to come up with a name for the TBM. Tradition dictates that proposals must be a female first name. The TBMs are placed under the protection of Saint Barbara, patron saint and protector of miners and underground workers. They will form an internal committee with the TBM managers of the REM project office and NouvLR. The person who suggests the winning name will participate in a site tour and the inauguration of the TBM in December.
Click this link to participate.

It’s a go! The REM tunnel between the Technoparc Montréal station and the airport is taking off! (pun intended…). Excellent news for the continuity of the REM work in the Technoparc. Thanks to the advanced TBM technology that will dig up 1.7 meters per hour while building the walls, work will be fast and efficient. How does this famous TBM work? CTV News reported on the technology, with the spokesperson of the REM. A video to see and share.

Last month, Technoparc Montréal took part in the “Prestige Conference” event organized by the team of the Chambre de Commerce et d’industrie de Saint-Laurent – Mont-Royal (CCSL-MR). During the lunch served at the Crystal Reception Hall, the Mayor of the Borough of Saint-Laurent, Mr. Alan DeSousa, delivered a most inspiring speech in terms of sustainable development for local businesses and for citizens of the Borough. VIPs were present, as well as members of the Saint-Laurent / Ville Mont-Royal business community and beyond. This conference was a kick-off to sustainable development activities that took place during the month of October 2019. A superb event of the CCSL-MR which posted “full”!

Repare Therapeutics is growing, and they are always looking for highly innovative and collaborative individuals who are passionate about discovering revolutionary cancer treatments. If you are interested in joining the Repare Therapeutics team, please apply to one of their open positions! Simply click this link to see the available positions.

There is a trend in Training and Development in the last year for workshops on Diversity & Inclusion (D&I). Larger organizations have been tackling this issue for the last few years and many business articles address this. What about small businesses? Should this be an area of concern? I asked Robert Hanna (McGill-HEC EMBA 2021) this question.
Robert does international business development, facilitates complex and competitive, web-based business simulations for corporate clients and MBA programs globally and is an entrepreneur to boot. His answer was yes, for a few reasons. In his work around the world, he has seen that “Diversity delivers better business results, even in small teams of 5-6 people – better decision making and better financial results”.
From his observations, diversity in a team forces the team to challenge themselves at the start: get to know each other and learn different points of view and harness the best of each member, building a strong way forward. When making decisions, members of a diverse team are more likely to challenge each other’s assumptions and perspectives and harness each other’s unique experience that drives them to see actions in another light.
As well, Robert has seen that homogeneity tends to lead to groupthink or even group assumptions, because without a deeper discussion, there is a lot of agreement with less provocation to think out of the box.
Another interesting point he brought up was the definition of diversity. Diversity includes not only culture, gender, and religion, but also factors like age, functional experience, language, interests, personality types and more. Where does Inclusion fit in this? Well, you cannot have Diversity without Inclusion. He also points out that D&I is not a political statement, to promote personal politics. It is, in business, the opportunity to focus on building a strong team for a strong organization to make better decisions and focus on economic growth. This is the basis to ensure the survival of any small business.
The CERASP is a CCTT (College Center for Technical Transfer), dedicated to helping pharmaceutical start-ups and PME, through assisting in applied research, equipment grants and training, business development services and training and developing staff. Christina Aon is the Technical Lead. She can be reached at christina.aon@cerasp.ca . You can also consult their Website for more information.