The Université du Québec, a renowned research institution, details its recent achievements and research specialties in its effort to improve Canadian lives through diverse research into the world’s most pressing challenges.
Université du Québec (UQ) is a network of ten higher education and research institutions that offer more than 1,400 programmes across all academic levels. Spread across Québec in nearly 40 municipalities, the network has a student body of nearly 100,000, solidifying UQ’s position as the largest French-speaking university in North America.
About to embark on new research efforts facilitated by Pillar II of Horizon Europe, the Université du Québec discusses the key areas of research and notable achievements that have established the institution as one of Canada’s top research universities.
What topics does the university specialise in?
UQ’s scientific communities are innovating to find answers to issues specific to their communities. They actively contribute to the development of science and Québec through their internationally recognised expertise in all scientific areas.
UQ is one of Canada’s top research universities. Its scientific community receives more than $378m annually in research funding, nearly 40% of which comes from the private sector (private companies and non-profit organisations) as well as from federal and provincial departments and agencies.
In response to the regional manifestations of global challenges, UQ’s cutting-edge research aligns in many ways with the targeted issues and themes of the Horizon Europe programme, to which science is called upon to respond.
These include strategic areas of excellence such as green energy, digital technology, sustainable healthcare, climate change adaptation, responsible natural resource management, social inclusion, and healthcare system governance.
What have the key achievements of Université du Québec been in the past few years?
In the spring of 2024, the Governments of Canada and France established the research network FC Clean H2: Moving France and Canada to a Low-Carbon Hydrogen Future. This network is an initiative of the French National Research Network on Hydrogen Energy (FRH2) and Institut de recherche sur l’hydrogène (IRH) at Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR).
This joint Canadian and French venture aims to develop renewable hydrogen (H2-R) production technologies. They will achieve this through interactions between their respective laboratories, fostering exchanges between researchers and their ability to respond to calls for transatlantic research projects.
The Advanced Laser Light Source Laboratory (ALLS) of Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) is a world-class research facility focused on developing a new type of laser with groundbreaking applications. Supported by the leadership of Professor François Légaré and currently directed by researcher Heide Ibrahim, the Advanced Laser Light Source laboratory enables the development of radiation sources ranging from infrared to very high-energy X-rays, producing ultra-short pulses.
Other research conducted at UQ focuses on both the social issues of digital technology and society’s adoption of its tools. At Université TÉLUQ, the research activities conducted by I2A (the applied AI institute, website in French) and Dot-Lab (Data Science Laboratory) include AI applications such as healthcare decision-making support, COVID-19, and mobile healthcare.
The Communications and Microelectronic Integration Laboratory (LaCIME) is one of the largest research laboratories at École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), including 20 researchers and 200 graduate students. From the smallest devices and circuits to the most complex terrestrial and satellite communications and navigation systems, the LaCIME lab covers a wide range of exciting research fields. LaCIME’s research projects involve applying communication devices and sensors to climate action, civil security, and healthcare, among other uses.
At Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), the Partnership on University Plagiarism Prevention (PUPP), whose principal investigator is Martine Peters, comprises 59 researchers and collaborators from various disciplines and 34 partners. PUPP is conducting a unique research project on the use of Digital Scrapbooking Strategies (DSS) by students and teachers to determine how teaching and learning these strategies can prevent plagiarism.
The institution also provides leadership in healthcare research. Led by Professor Catherine Laprise, Canada Research Chair in Asthma and Allergic Diseases Genomics, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC) supports DESIIR, a digital ecosystem of integrated environmental and health data for research purposes. This is a unique opportunity at the Canadian and international levels to deploy innovative, cross-sectoral approaches to sustainable health research.
This digital ecosystem will bring together and leverage data collected or generated over five decades of research on physical and psychosocial health as well as population structure. This project embodies Université du Québec’s distinctive research culture, which focuses on collaboration between research sectors and between public and private organisations. This approach will facilitate the identification of new avenues to address endemic health and social issues, including rare inherited diseases.
Founded at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), the Center of Excellence in Research on Orphan Diseases – Fondation Courtois (CERMO-FC) brings together more than 70 researchers from across Québec and internationally. The centre’s mission is to develop and deepen knowledge about orphan diseases through basic and applied research, thereby identifying therapeutic targets to improve patient care, monitoring, and quality of life. Recent projects at the Centre have focused on Hunter’s syndrome, the PSMC5 gene mutation, and developing a therapeutic approach for Hirschsprung’s disease.
Lara Maillet, Canada Research Chair in Adaptive Health and Social Services (CRC Sa3S) at École nationale d’administration publique (ENAP), is leading the France-Québec comparative project Travailler sur les frontières des trajectoires: Vers des modes de gouvernance robuste pour des systèmes de santé adaptables? This research aims to better assess the potential of management by health trajectories and pathways to contribute to the post-pandemic response. The research offers the prospect of a new form of healthcare governance for marginalised groups or those who have more difficulty accessing the healthcare system.
UQ researchers are also actively contributing to making Canada a more inclusive society, particularly with regard to Indigenous Peoples and youth. At Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT), the Canada Research Chair in Issues Relating to Indigenous Women, led by Professor Suzy Basile, aims to document the issues and challenges faced by Indigenous women in Canada and around the world. With a view to reconciliation and healing, her work provides appropriate solutions to these issues.
Continuing on the subject of challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples, researcher Dave Bergeron at Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) is leading a project to use innovative approaches to knowledge transfer and exchange to develop and implement preventive healthcare and health promotion strategies in partnership with Indigenous communities.
At ENAP, the research chair on the evaluation of public actions regarding youth and vulnerable populations (CREVAJ) is conducting a research project on the Aire ouverte programme entitled: Evaluative research to support continuous improvement of services offered to Québec youth and learning organisations. This project, led by researcher Martin Goyette, involves evaluating and supporting the continuous improvement of Aire ouverte, a programme with 32 service centres for youth ages 12 to 25 living in various vulnerable contexts.
What are UQ’s projects dedicated to civil security and climate change?
The impact of human activities on terrestrial ecosystems has intensified significantly in recent decades. This is evident through unexpected disruptive events and the emergence of new and growing socio-economic demands. The DIVERSE project, led by UQO’s Professor Christian Messier, is pioneering a new approach to forest management. It brings together seven Canadian universities, 12 co-investigators, 40 collaborators, and 25 industry, Indigenous, governmental, and non-governmental partners.
Similarly, the work of the Research Chair on Northern biodiversity in a mining context, led by Professor Nicole Fenton of UQAT, is empowering industry stakeholders, governments, and communities to mitigate the impact of their actions on biodiversity. They achieve this through science-based planning that incorporates Indigenous perspectives and accounts for the impacts of climate change.
Furthermore, the team at the INRS Hydraulic Management of Water Distribution Systems Laboratory is developing tools to improve the management of these systems. These tools enable rapid responses to potential contamination and minimise water loss from the systems. The hydraulic management laboratory, which includes a physical model of a municipal drinking water distribution network, optimises the utilisation of our most valuable natural resource.
The AdapT Institute at ÉTS is a research institution focusing on resilient and circular infrastructure. Its mission is to develop innovative solutions for designing, constructing, and operating circular infrastructure that can withstand the impact of climate change. Hailing from the fields of engineering, management, healthcare, the humanities, and social sciences, the researchers at the AdapT Institute are working to develop alternative approaches to building more adaptable infrastructures.
Climate change is particularly affecting coastal areas. The work conducted by UQAR’s Laboratory of Dynamics and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (LDGIZC) has become increasingly crucial for coastal communities. As the climate changes, the risk of erosion and marine submersion along inhabited shorelines continues to escalate worldwide.
In response to these risks, the ARICO (adaptation to coastal risks) project, a multidisciplinary, multi-partner France-Québec research initiative, is funded by ANR (French National Research Agency) and FRQ (Fonds de recherche du Québec). ARICO focuses on co-constructing adaptation scenarios for coastal regions in France and Québec, addressing the coastal risks associated with climate change in collaboration with societal stakeholders, including managers, elected officials, and local inhabitants.
Intersectorality is also central to UQAM’s InterSectoral Flood Network of Québec (RIISQ). Rooted in the conviction that effective disaster response requires collaboration among socio-economic stakeholders, RIISQ’s mission is to contribute to reducing the risk of floods and their consequences.
The Network facilitates the resilience of organisations, vulnerable communities, and individuals and by fostering connections between civil society and universities. RIISQ researchers actively engage with communities most susceptible to flooding, offering practical solutions tailored to their unique realities, thereby enhancing their ability to manage the risks associated with this natural disaster.
Also aiming to improve our climate resilience, CIIN (the international centre for northern engineering) at UQAC coordinates the activities of atmospheric icing research units. It boasts a large-scale facility, including several climatic chambers and refrigerated tunnels, a unique small-scale spillway unlike anywhere else in the world, high-voltage generators, and natural icing sites.
At UQTR, research conducted at the REST[ES] (Research on Experimental and Social Thanatology) facility contributes to enhancing public safety. This high-security outdoor facility is the only one of its kind in North America and is primarily dedicated to the physical, chemical, and biological study of human decomposition.
Studies conducted at REST[ES] focus on death and the post-mortem processes that occur in Québec’s temperate climate. REST[ES] researchers have already forged connections with various international forensic science partners (including European countries such as Switzerland and the UK), using the highly distinctive facility for their training and research.
The institution’s diverse research community has many benefits
These are just a few examples of the many ways UQ’s research community contributes to advancing knowledge and improving living conditions for Canadians.
We’re confident that Canada’s participation in Pillar 2 of Horizon Europe will be an opportunity for UQ institutions to strengthen their research capacity and extend their reach.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 18th edition of our quarterly publication.
