Artificial intelligence
$21 million invested in hospital AI projects
October 4, 2023
MONTREAL – SCALE AI took the stage at Canada’s ALL IN event to announce investments of $21 million for nine artificial intelligence (AI) projects selected by SCALE AI as part of its AI for Healthcare Initiative to support hospital projects pioneering the deployment of AI solutions. This latest SCALE AI initiative promotes collaboration between hospitals and AI product and solutions providers across the country to innovate further and accelerate the deployment of AI in the Canadian healthcare network to improve operations, logistics and resource allocation.
With this announcement, SCALE AI underlines the critical role of AI in transforming our Canadian healthcare network to offer better care for all Canadians.
Julien Billot (pictured), CEO, SCALE AI, explains: “SCALE AI is working with many partners to accelerate the rapid adoption and integration of AI in key sectors like healthcare. Through this initiative, AI ecosystem players and hospitals are mobilizing to meet today’s public health challenges and to have a profound effect on healthcare in Canada.”
These projects are supported by funding provided to SCALE AI as part of the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, through which the Government of Canada is investing in efforts to drive the adoption of artificial intelligence across Canada’s economy and society.
Led by and deployed into Canadian hospitals, the projects announced today – including optimizing and forecasting for resource and workflow operations, patient care management and virtual triaging and queue management – will help resolve complex challenges in Canadian healthcare. These technological advances will have tangible, measurable effects on hospital activities, notably by helping to improve the patient’s journey and experience by streamlining the logistics, determining daily resource management, or reducing waiting times.
“AI for healthcare offers powerful new solutions to improve the daily lives of Canadian patients. Through the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, SCALE AI is working with local AI experts to develop these solutions in partnership with local healthcare institutions and hospitals to ensure better data protection and a solid ethical framework for analyzing and processing information about patients and our healthcare system,” says François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
Hélène Desmarais, co-chair of the Board of Directors, SCALE AI, adds: “In partnership with the entire ecosystem, SCALE AI continues to help develop AI in Canada, accelerate its integration into Canadian businesses and support the management and delivery of healthcare through AI. These projects are helping to find efficiencies and optimize limited resources to improve patient well-being.”
AI for Healthcare: 9 projects representing investments of $20.9 million:
- AI-Driven Demand Forecasting for CIUSSS West-Central Logistics Optimization
Partners: CIUSSS West-Central Montreal (CIUSSS-CCOMTL), IVADO Labs
SCALE AI investment: $1.5 million
Total investment: $2.3 million - Developing the First Patient-Centric Care Management System for Oncology
Partners: The Ottawa Hospital, The Princess Margaret Cancer Center, The Centre
Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Gray Oncology Solutions, The Jewish General
Hospital, The Programme Québécois de Cancérologie, The Centre Intégré de Santé et
de Services Sociaux de Laval, The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC), The
CIUSSS de l’Estrie – Sherbrooke, The Southlake Regional Health Centre, The Canadian
Cancer Society
SCALE AI investment: $1.9 million
Total investment: $2.9 million - Optimizing Emergency Department Resources with AI Decision Support Tool
Partners: Unity Health Toronto (St. Joseph’s Health Center, St. Michael’s Hospital),
Signal 1, Trillium Healthcare Partners, Grand River Hospital
SCALE AI investment: $1.5 million
Total investment: $3 million - Emergency Dept AI-Enabled Virtual Triaging and Queue Management Application
Partners: Humber River Health, Deloitte, MEDITECH Collaborative, Mackenzie Health
SCALE AI investment: $1.5 million
Total investment: $2.4 million - AInception – Optimizing Emergency Planning
Partners: Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Moov AI, CIUSSS
Estrie – CHU Sherbrooke
Scale AI investment: $1.5 million
Total investment: $2.3 million - AI-Based Decision Tool to Forecast, Optimize and Allocate Paramedic Resources
Partners: Urgences-santé, Alberta Health Services – Emergency Medical Services,
Emergency Medical Care Incorporated, Airudi, McGill Clinical and Health Informatics
SCALE AI investment: $1.5 million
Total investment: $2.3 million - AI-Driven Physician Scheduling Solution and Workflow Optimization
Partners: Fraser Health Authority, Deloitte
SCALE AI investment: $1.5 million
Total investment: $2.2 million - Resource Optimization Chart for Pediatric Intensive Care
Partners: Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, Montreal Children’s Hospital,
IVADO Labs
SCALE AI investment: $1.5 million
Total investment: $1.8 million - Improvement of Radiation Therapy Through Staff Scheduling Optimization
Partners: UHN Princess Margaret Cancer Center, IVADO Labs, Southlake Regional
Health Center, eSummit
SCALE AI investment: $1.5 million
Total investment: $1.7 million
To learn more about the projects, click here.
About Scale AI
As Canada’s AI Global Innovation Cluster, Scale AI acts as an investment and innovation hub that accelerates the rapid adoption and integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and contributes to developing a world-class Canadian AI ecosystem. Based in Montreal and funded by the federal government and the Quebec government, Scale AI works with more than 500 industry partners, research institutes, and other players in the field of AI. The organization develops programs to support investments in companies that implement real-world applications of AI and encourage the emergence of future Canadian flagships in the sector, all while facilitating the development of a highly skilled workforce. For more information, visit scaleai.ca.