Montreal Summit on Innovation 2014 - Health and Creative Industries: An Inspiring and Winning Partnership

MONTREAL, Sept. 18, 2014 /CNW Telbec/ - The Quartier de l'innovation and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal are pleased to join forces for the fourth edition of the Montreal Summit on Innovation (MSI). The MSI is an initiative of the Quartier de l'innovation launched under the leadership of ÉTS and McGill University to position Montreal as a local and international hub of innovation. This year, the event will take place on Thursday, November 6, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Palais des congrès de Montréal with the theme Health and Creative Industries: An Inspiring and Winning Partnership.

"The ability to innovate is one of the essential conditions of economic success," said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. "The creative and health industries are two highly innovative, structuring sectors for the city's economy. In 2012, the creative industries generated $8.6 billion in economic spinoffs for Greater Montreal. This value creation accounts for 4.9% of the CMA's GDP. As for health, it is a highly innovative sector, which represents close to 7.8% of the CMA's GDP. The impact of these two sectors on the city's economy is therefore significant, and it is in our interest to encourage synergy between them. The discussions that will take place at the MSI will help guide us to better leverage this undeniable asset in order to maximize our ability to innovate and contribute to our well-being as a society."

Synergies to create
"Quebec and Montreal are facing many health challenges due to a growing and aging population and a sustained rise in the structural costs of health care," said Damien Silès, Executive Director of the Quartier de l'innovation. "The city's creative industries are recognized worldwide and are an asset that can make a significant contribution to these challenges through creative solutions. At the MSI, speakers from Montreal and further afield will address topics such as how the creative industries can help patients understand and manage their health, the power of media to change behaviour and the importance of ecosystems that foster these collaborations."

"The fourth edition of the Montreal Summit on Innovation, initiated by McGill University, will offer a snapshot of major world trends, the economic and social outlook and the resulting opportunities for innovation," said Suzanne Fortier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University. "For students, it will be an opportunity to discover the importance of collaboration and increase their awareness of entrepreneurship. The MSI will be one of the key events this fall for building bridges and breaking down barriers between different settings and sectors."

The 2014 edition of the MSI involves a full day of sessions, including a luncheon on preparing tomorrow's leaders in science and innovation in Montreal with the Chief Scientist of Quebec, Rémi Quirion.

Montreal entrepreneurs will have a unique opportunity to demonstrate their potential and know-how for bringing together the creative industries and the health sector through presentations in the fields of serious gaming and smart textiles, among others, as well as through a Hacking Health Challenge. 

Hacking Health Challenge
During this activity, taking place alongside the sessions, ten teams of five people, comprised of professional designers and students from universities, will be paired with a health professional who will present a problem. The teams will work together on an innovative but realistic, patient-centred solution to be presented at the end of the day. This portion of the MSI will continue on November 20^th during an activity inspired by the show Dragon's Den, meant to finance and market the solutions created during the Hacking Health Challenge. As such, the fourth edition of the MSI will leave an impactful, concrete legacy. The Hacking Health Challenge is organized by Hacking Health Montréal in partnership with f. & co.

The 2014 edition of the MSI is organized by McGill University, ÉTS and the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and is made possible through the support of the MSI 2014 Steering Committee and the following partners: the Fonds de recherche du gouvernement du Québec and Bell (Gold partners), as well as the Centre d'entreprises et d'innovation de Montréal (CEIM), the Canada Foundation for Innovation, Robic, Ubisoft, Concordia University and UQAM (Bronze partners).

About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montreal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.

About the QI
The QI – officially launched in May 2013 by École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) and McGill University – is an innovative ecosystem at the heart of Montreal which aims to foster the creative potential of the metropolis. The QI promotes the complementary strengths and resources of its founding institutions as well as its numerous partners in research, training, innovation and entrepreneurship. The QI is located a few steps away from downtown Montreal in the South-West district, which encompasses Griffintown, Saint-Henri, Petite Bourgogne and Pointe Saint-Charles. QI projects and activities are founded on its four pillars: research and education, social and cultural, industrial and urban.

SOURCE: Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal

Michelle LLambias Meunier, Advisor, Media Relations, Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Tel.: [phone], ext. 4042, [email protected]; Facebook: www.facebook.com/chambremontreal; Twitter: @chambremontreal; follow the discussion: #ccmmqcca; Carole Graveline, Director, Media Relations, McGill University, Tel.: [phone], [email protected]