October 1, 2026 – Election campaign buses are currently crisscrossing every corner of Québec to win over Quebecers. Meanwhile, our manufacturing and exporting businesses are grappling with uncertainty, rising costs, squeezed margins and a loss of competitiveness since the arrival of the Trump administration. For several months now, Québec has been trying to mitigate the impacts of the trade war with our neighbours to the south. A natural reflex for businesses is to postpone investments that create value. On the government side, programs mobilising billions of dollars in public funds are being deployed in an effort to preserve our industrial fabric. These measures should make greater use of innovation, which is what truly creates collective wealth. In other words, to counter the negative impacts of this trade war, we need to innovate.
Businesses that innovate weather crises better
Our politicians, our economic players, our researchers, all talk about innovation, but they sometimes struggle to explain in simple terms what it represents for our economy. Innovation reduces costs, diversifies markets, creates new products and develops intellectual property. It is a strategic investment in Québec's competitiveness and economic sovereignty.
A major challenge for Québec: commercialising our innovations
To make Québec a leader in innovation, it must adopt an approach that moves research (the idea) toward the market (the product). Greater recognition and support from public decision-makers is needed for an ecosystem that supports industrial innovation projects emerging directly from business needs.
Guiding the idea to market means maximising the benefits of innovation
Québec and Canada are among the world leaders in research, but lag behind when it comes to commercialising it. Why? Applications stemming from fundamental research rightly require longer cycles, while the industrial innovation cycle is shorter. In other words, businesses must deliver quickly, stay within budget, respond to clients and minimise their risk. They need partners capable of bridging these two different paces and guiding them from idea to market. These partners are the Regroupements sectoriels de recherche industrielle (RSRI – Sectoral Industrial Research Groups). As real bridges between businesses, funders and the academic community, RSRIs offer businesses leading-edge expertise across 9 industrial sectors that they would struggle to develop on their own. The results speak for themselves: more than 75% of projects completed by RSRIs have been commercialised. Businesses that use our services develop new markets, create new partnerships, maintain and create jobs, sign new contracts and increase their revenues. RSRIs are clearly levers that allow businesses to invest in innovation, while also helping attract new capital.
RSRIs: a weapon for boosting Québec's productivity and prosperity
The RSRIs are calling on public decision-makers, present and future, to turn the current trade war into an accelerator rather than a brake on innovation. At a time when every public dollar must demonstrate its return, RSRIs have proven themselves with thousands of businesses over the past 20 years. To support businesses and strengthen Québec's economic dynamism, RSRIs want to drive forward more industrial innovation projects. The trade war leaves us no choice: innovate or fall behind. Let's choose to support industrial research, support our innovative businesses, and build collective prosperity. Driving innovation projects by and for our businesses means encouraging controlled but necessary risk-taking, so that Québec can fully claim its rightful place in the global economy.
Signatories:
Marie-Pierre Ippersiel, CEO PRIMA Québec
Dominique St-Louis, Executive Director of Prompt
Geneviève Mathieu, CEO CRIBIQ
Véronique Dugas, CEO CQDM
Guillaume Côté, CEO CRIAQ
Annie-Kim Gilbert, CEO MEDTEQ+
Marilyne Simard, CEO CQRDA
Thierry St-Cyr, CEOInnovÉÉ
Jean-François Pouliot, Executive Director CRITM