Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS)
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Labo Climat Montréal is a living laboratory that specializes in the field of climate change adaptation. The research team of professors and students from four universities (UdeM, UQAM, INRS and ULaval), all linked through the Villes Régions Mondes (VRM) network. The team features multidisciplinary expertise in collaborative processes and on the challenges of urban sustainability, urban governance, and climate-adapted infrastructure. The team collaborates with the Ouranos consortium for the urban redevelopment project in the Lachine East sector of Montreal. https://laboclimatmtl.inrs.ca/
The funding comes from the Ouranos Climate Research Consortium, but INRS provides material support with access to our laboratories.
Community organizations were invited to take part in this collaborative research to ensure that vulnerable populations were well represented.

For the exhibition "For Tomorow" (showcased at the Museum of civilization from June 2023 to January 2024), the INRS scientific teams lends scientific equipment and materials to the Musée de la civilization (in Quebec City). This initiative is part of a sustainable approach that blends art, culture, and scientific research for public education. https://inrs.ca/actualites/combiner-arts-et-sciences-pour-des-solutions-durables/

For several years now, INRS has maintained a collaboration with the Quebec Aquarium to organize scientific workshops for the general public, specifically targeting children, with the aim of showcasing and popularizing the research conducted at INRS by simplifying scientific concepts. The collaboration aims to raise awareness regarding biodiversity conservation. We have a long-term agreement with the Aquarium. https://inrs.ca/actualites/plongez-dans-les-sciences/

- Carré Laval and Partnership Chaire with the City of Laval on microbiome engineering in health and the environment
The partnership involves the development of an innovation hub in the field of bioeconomy within the Carré Laval, aimed at creating a carbon-neutral innovation city on a human scale. The establishment of the Partner Research Chair in Microbiome Engineering for Environmental and Agri-food Applications, led by Professor Philippe Constant of the INRS Armand-Frappier Health Biotechnology Center, represents a concrete first step in this partnership.
INRS support is of a human, material, and financial nature (e.g., partnership development, event organization, funding of advocacy activities, etc.).
The project aims to engage a set of stakeholders, including the citizens of the City of Laval, to ensure that Carré Laval reflects their needs and values.

- Carrefour de l'eau (Water Crossroads)
The Water Hub is a project aimed at making Quebec City a global leader in sustainable development, particularly in the water-related technology sector, including recycling, treatment, and purification. The project consists of six components:
1. Facilities and laboratories for teaching, research, and development, where future clean technologies will be developed.
2. Test benches and equipment for testing, validating, and demonstrating real-scale technologies and transforming them into innovations.
3. An incubator for water technology-focused companies to commercialize innovations.
4. A recycled water plant to supply recycled water to organizations that currently consume a significant amount of potable water for industrial purposes.
5. An interpretation centre.
6. Real estate space for lease by businesses and organizations in the water technology sector.
Two components are planned to engage the population in the project: a series of community engagement activities and consultations regarding social acceptability (with the first workshop taking place in June 2022). In the longer term, there will be the establishment of an interpretation centre within the Water Hub, allowing citizens to become familiar with the issues and the theme.