This recognition of Quebec’s distinctive character in various fields is the outcome of a committed effort involving university research and innovation. Universities have spearheaded innovation through their large-scale research structures. Innovation is a process, an approach and a result that provides a new and different character to our ways of doing things and thinking about them, and contributes to social and economic development. The Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) is actively involved in this effort through its researchers and students, whose motivation is fueled by the fact that their research has an impact on both the environment and society.

UQAM innovation includes:

• Making hockey accessible to as many players as possible with BIPER, an audible hockey puck that enables the visually impaired to practice the sport.
• Fighting sexual harassment at work and improving the protection of women in the workplace thanks to the research of the “Health, Gender, Equality” interdisciplinary team and UQAM’s Service aux collectivités, contributing to the modification of the Act Respecting Labour Standards.
• Improving the experience of accessing mental health care through the innovative mobile application Mentallys, a responsible digital service that also enables long-term follow-up.
• Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to promote animal welfare and longevity on dairy farms through remote sensing and AI, thanks to the Research and Innovation Chair in Animal Welfare and Artificial Intelligence (WELL-E).
• Promoting social diversity and ensuring sustainable development, as in the Angus Project, developed by citizens with the support of UQAM researchers, that is creating an eco-district in Montreal’s east end.

With its 1,200 professors at the forefront of emerging knowledge and practices who are committed to transmitting their knowledge to society, UQAM is transforming Quebec.