The offer of support for innovation in Quebec is broad and diversified: the Quebec Innovation Council lists 650 organizations and 200 funding programs in the province. However, this abundance is a double-edged sword since it involves time-consuming research for businesses. With the network of advisors it currently deploys, the Council aims to facilitate the process.
Divocco AI, a young Montreal startup launched in November 2021, works on innovative medical technologies. His specialty: anesthesia automation.
For example, the SME is developing an intelligent device that adjusts in real time the doses and types of drugs administered to patients, during general anesthesia, based on their vital signs.
“To move forward, we need funds. And we found some, two years ago, from the CQDM [Quebec Consortium on Drug Discovery],” says Thomas Hemmerling, one of the co-founders. But the research, which the company carried out on its own, was somewhat laborious.
Today, the man who is also a professor at the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University would rather contact the Innovation Council, after learning that it can help companies in their research.
Innovation is perhaps characterized above all by this notion of uncertainty, says Benoit Labbé, senior director of partnerships and ecosystems at the Quebec Innovation Council. “Out of ten projects, only one will be successful, such as the marketing of a new product or the development of a new application. »
When risks are perceived as too great, companies are naturally hesitant to move forward. It is for this reason that a number of programs are offered to support SMEs – to “de-risk” the operation and therefore encourage innovation.
Benoit Labbé lists four ways to support businesses. The first is assistance for implementation, that is to say technical support which includes the research centers. The second is based on advice and support. This type of assistance makes it possible to better plan the project and ensure that it meets a real need on the market.
The third form of support and “de-risking” is that of networking, which can be done for example through professional and sectoral associations, or even communities of practice. “Better networking helps you better understand marketing issues, the ecosystem and business partners,” says Benoit Labbé. The last type of support is that of financing.
Faced with this sea of resources, the Innovation Council has been working since last January to deploy a network of innovation advisors.
Working for MRCs, economic development companies and regional acceleration and growth spaces, for example, their mission is to meet businesses and help them find the right resources.
“They have three functions,” says Benoit Labbé. They validate innovation projects, understand needs and direct entrepreneurs to the right programs and organizations. »
How do I find an advisor? The director suggests that businesses contact the Innovation Council, which can redirect them.
“Counselors are really helpful because sometimes they see needs that you didn’t see,” he says. Some companies think they only need funds, for example, but upon closer analysis they realize that their product is not quite there.
“An advisor will then be able to refer him for technical or technological support, which will help him not only to mature his product, but also to obtain financing more easily. »
