Quebec and France establishing joint maritime research and innovation institute

Quebec and France have agreed to create a bi-national institute aimed at developing large-scale joint projects for research and innovation in the maritime sector. The agreement was signed last week in Paris by French prime minister Manuel Valls and Quebec premier Philippe Couillard who was accompanied by Quebec chief scientist Dr Rémi Quirion.

The institute will bring together large numbers of Quebecois and French researchers from various disciplines with the goal of providing "a joint competitive positioning mechanism for major international initiatives". It is also seen as a significant milestone in the province's proposed Maritime Strategy and its objective of sustainable maritime development.

In a statement, Quirion said a structured network for the development of large-scale projects is "in line with current European and international initiatives such as Horizon 2020, the Galway Statement or Future Earth" and will open up new avenues of research.

The Univ of Quebec at Rimouski will play a key role in the institute's implementation. The university has strong research excellence in marine sciences, regional development and the north.

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