The Joint Research Unit in Urban Sciences (UMRsu) organized its first networking activity around its R&D activities with great success

The Joint  Research Unit in Urban Sciences (UMRsu) invited the Quebec City area business community at its first networking event at its premises on 1405 boulevard du Parc Technologique in Quebec. The goal was to bring together the innovative projects in R&D of the UMRsu and the region's organizations development goals.
 
The Joint Research Unit, whose scientific director is Professor Sébastien Tremblay (*) is run jointly by Université Laval, Thales Research and Technology Canada, the Quebec Metro High Tech Park, the City of Quebec and the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS). The UMRsu is a consortium of partners from the academia and public and private sectors, whose mission is to promote scientific innovation and R&D, including the multidisciplinary theme of Smart Cities and smart communities. The goal of urban sciences is to support the creation of an integrated vision of "urban ecosystems' to better manage various traditionally separate functions such as transportation, energy, water, waste, education or safety.
 
This networking event is aimed to better understand the nature and operation of the UMRsu, to discover its main themes, topic of research and strategic initiatives, to learn more about the possibilities of collaboration and their benefits them as well as visit, in preview, the research facilities of the UMRsu. The meeting took place in the presence of Professor Tremblay and Natalie Quirion, President and CEO of the Quebec Metro High Tech Park and Richard Grenier, Director of Thales Research and Technology, and representatives of the City of Quebec. Several of the researchers associated with the UMRsu were on hand to exchange and explore opportunities for collaboration in connection with the development projects and goals of the attending organizations.

With business participation exceeding expectations, the UMRsu shows that it is timely in the innovation ecosystem in Quebec. The leaders of these SMEs have also expressed their satisfaction with the scientific support proposed and the access to advanced equipment available on site. The discussions with SMEs and other research centres have set the foundations for future collaborations and projects.
 
For more information on the joint unit urban science research: www.umr-su.com
 

(*) Sébastien Tremblay is a professor at Laval University, Fellow of Cardiff University in the UK and Co-Director of the DOT laboratory. His research program focuses on the issues of cognition in order to maximize human performance and well-being in a variety of fields ranging from public safety, transportation and entertainment. His work is supported in particular by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the Social Science Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), the Quebec Research Fund, industry (Thales, Ubisoft and CAE) and other agencies. He holds a PhD in cognitive psychology (1999) from the University of Cardiff and completed a post doctorate in the framework of a partnership between Cardiff's and the British Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA, now QinetiQ).
 
Picture:Richard Grenier, Director of Thales Research and Technology Canada
 
 
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