Axelys to accelerate Quebec commercialisation

Axelys, a Canada-based technology transfer institution for Quebec, has been launched by the provincial government.
Axelys will be operational from April 1 and will take over from three separate organisations that will shut down a day earlier: Aligo Innovation, Sovar and Univalor. It will offer consultancy and support services to drive innovation and public research in the province.
The government expects the centralised approach will increase Quebec’s commercialisation output, bolstering the number of startups, allowing companies to improve competitiveness and generating more jobs.
Axelys will be led by president and chief executive Paule De Blois, who had held the same positions at Sovar since 2017.
She said: “Axelys’ team will offer a renewed experience, focusing on innovation, proximity with the scientific community, and partnership with every stakeholder from researchers to entrepreneurs. Our ambition is to make an economic and social difference.”
The government has also put in place a startup committee led by Luc Sirois, chief innovator of Quebec.
The committee also includes Vincent Aimez, vice-rector for valorisation and partnerships of University of Sherbrooke; François Bertrand, assistant director general of Polytechnique Montreal; and Eugénie Brouillet, vice-rector for research, creation and innovation of Laval University.
Didier Leconte, vice-president of investments – technologies and management of Fonds de Solidarité FTQ, and Michelle Laflamme, founder and chief executive of Emovi, have also been appointed to the committee.