IVADO is a Montreal-based AI research and knowledge transfer consortium. It mobilizes unique academic expertise to bridge the gap between current AI and human intelligence, leading the way to the development of AI capable of operating in changing and complex environments.
To achieve this vision, IVADO acts on three levels: research, training, and technology transfer, while promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in all its activities.
Launched in 2016 as a joint initiative of the Université de Montréal, HEC Montréal, and Polytechnique Montréal, IVADO is now at the head of a vast community of AI excellence in Québec.
IVADO brings together more than 2,000 researchers, 14 academic members, some 50 academic, network, and international partners, and close to 120 industrial members from various backgrounds. The consortium is funded by the Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF), the Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie (MEIE) of Québec, and the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ).
“IVADO is a facilitator at the intersection of academia and industry that strives to find solutions to current issues and to uncover AI’s full potential.” – Luc Vinet, CEO of IVADO
With the support of this dynamic, multidisciplinary community and thanks to a unique co-creation approach, IVADO has completed nearly 600 collaborative research projects valued at more than $77 million. Since innovation cannot be achieved without talent, IVADO has invested close to $41 million in supporting its research community, namely by awarding hundreds of scholarships and grants annually. Its training program includes a wide range of workshops, online classes (MOOCs), and schools on AI and its applications.
All of these initiatives contribute to IVADO’s goals of generating cutting-edge AI knowledge, developing world-class technologies, leveraging scientific and industrial AI talent, and accelerating AI adoption throughout society.
Yet, the widespread adoption of AI is not an easy task. AI needs to inspire ethical, not just technical, confidence. This is why IVADO is working with its community to put science at the service of AI in order to develop AI that is ROBUST (more reliable and adaptable), REASONING (more competent and explicable), and RESPONSIBLE (reduced bias): R³AI.
IVADO thus contributes to catalyzing the digital shift in Québec and Canada by transforming AI advances into concrete applications that benefit all of society.
