Since its creation in 1969, the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) has been active in several cities of the surrounding regions of Mauricie, Centredu-Québec and Lanaudière. More than fifty years of regional presence have enabled the University to establish ongoing relationships with various social, economic and cultural sectors. The proximity between the university and its partners acts as an accelerator for innovation and for the development of high value-added projects. Indeed, it is an integral part of our University’s DNA.
In order to facilitate connections with potential partners, and to negotiate and formalize agreements with them, a team of community advocates maintain open communication channels and ensure a continuous presence in the surrounding region. As the gateway to numerous and diversified organizations and groups, members of this team are sensitive to their needs and ambitions. These sustained relationships allow UQTR to have a positive influence in the surrounding communities and to act as a driver of change, and vice-versa.
It is therefore no coincidence that UQTR was asked to federate regional partners into an innovation zone. Initially, three projects involving our university coexisted in two surrounding regions. By joining forces with the cities of Bécancour, Trois-Rivières and Shawinigan, UQTR was able to outline a single project known as Vallée de la transition énergétique (VTE – Energy Transition Valley). Together, the partners have shaped the VTE in their own image. At the heart of this synergy, UQTR is leading a research consortium of eight universities and three college centers focused on the transfer of technology. The VTE aims to link businesses, the research community and cities around energy transition sectors: EV battery, transport electrification, renewable hydrogen and the decarbonation of ports and heavy industry.
The VTE is destined to become a vessel for innovation in which the industrial, economic and municipal sectors will be meshed with the research and education communities. UQTR is proud to have leveraged its capacity for mobilization and its good relationships with partners to contribute to the emergence and ongoing evolution of this unique innovation ecosystem that will transform Quebec.
