By Jacques Brosseau, IDTEQ
IDTEQ stands for the Regroupement pour l’innovation et le développement technologique de Québec (Quebec City association for innovation and technological development) and includes the Centre de recherche industrielle du Québec (CRIQ), the Consortium de recherche appliquée en traitement et transformation des substances minérales (COREM), FPInnovations, the Institut national d’optique (INO), the Institut de recherche et de développement en agroenvironnement (IRDA), the Société de valorisation des applications de la recherche (SOVAR) and the Parc technologique du Québec métropolitain (PTQM).
IDTEQ’s mission is to foster collaboration, support, and complementarity among the various research centres with an industrial vocation (CRVI), SOVAR and PTQM.
IDTEQ’s membership includes 1,200 employees, with 950 working in the area of technological development and of services to the SME sector. During the last five years, IDTEQ members have generated investments exceeding $117M in R&D projects and private companies.
Québec seeks solutions is the centrepiece of an Initiative for Open Innovation developed by IDTEQ entirely in line with the 2010-2013 Québec Research and Innovation Strategy (QRIS). This Initiative of Open Innovation aims to share open innovation culture with other technological stakeholders from the Quebec City region to develop an offer for problem resolution unique to the region, and build the IDTEQ members’ capacity to develop technological solutions for the benefit of companies.
The QRIS points out that open innovation practices are especially reflected in more alliances and greater collaboration among various players.
This is why IDTEQ actively participated in the organization of the first and second editions of Québec seeks solutions. Moreover, 30 researchers from IDTEQ’s member research centres have registered for the second edition of Québec seeks solutions.
Québec seeks solutions 1 has already enabled two IDTEQ centres, FPInnovations and IRDA, to prepare a research project designed to solve a problem submitted by Kruger Inc. at that time.
The participation of IDTEQ and other research organizations will also make it possible to tighten links among the main stakeholders in Québec’s innovation and industrial research sector and spread the technological expertise developed in the Quebec City region.
Lastly, these 30 IDTEQ researchers will become better acquainted with other stakeholders from the industrial R&D sector and thus build their capacity to work together and collaborate with an eye to resolving the problems facing companies today.
