Bilingual digital innovation supported at Montfort Hospital

OTTAWA – On behalf of Evan Solomon, minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation and minister responsible for the federal economic development agency for southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), Mona Fortier, parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs and member of parliament for Ottawa–Vanier–Gloucester, announced an investment of just over $815,000 for Institut du Savoir Montfort (ISM) to expand the capacity of the Montfort Innovation Lab.

Up to 20 businesses in the digital health sector will access the lab to accelerate the development and commercialization of their innovative technologies through access to strategic guidance and connections to frontline clinicians, applied research expertise, and clinical environments across the healthcare ecosystem. This hands-on approach will help demonstrate the value of new digital health innovations and bring concrete solutions for Francophones in the healthcare system.

The investment will also strengthen collaboration across the regional innovation ecosystem by working with regional and clinical partners, including Invest Ottawa, Capital Bioventure, Hawkesbury General Hospital, Bruyère Health, CHEO, the Ottawa Hospital, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, the University of Ottawa, and Collège La Cité to accelerate access to resources and support entrepreneurship within a Francophone and bilingual innovation environment.

“The Government of Canada is investing in innovation that strengthens regional economies and supports official language minority communities (OLMCs). Through projects like this one, entrepreneurs will receive help navigating the healthcare ecosystem and will have access to specialized expertise and rapid services. These initiatives support the development of health technologies, stimulate innovation, and contribute to sustainable economic growth throughout southern Ontario,” said minister Solomon.

“Thanks to this investment, Institut du Savoir Montfort is strengthening the capabilities of its innovation lab to support more companies in developing, validating and implementing solutions in real-world settings. This is an important step toward accelerating high-impact innovations that benefit not only Francophone and bilingual communities, but all Canadians. When we innovate and provide care in the language of our choice, everyone wins,” added Estelle Ethier (pictured), CEO, Institut du Savoir Montfort and vice-president of education and research, Hôpital Montfort.

Montfort is Ontario’s French-language teaching hospital, providing exemplary, person-centred care to individuals and communities. It is one of only six hospitals in Canada that both serve the general population and qualify as teaching hospitals, offering intensive care, obstetric, mental health, rehabilitation and other acute care services. Montfort is also ranked among the top 50 hospitals and top 40 research hospitals in the country, with more performance indicators above average than below, according to the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

Created in 2015, Institut du Savoir Montfort (ISM) is Montfort’s academic and scientific pillar, dedicated to teaching, research, and innovation in healthcare. Its mission is to serve as a unique French-language environment that combines teaching, research, and innovation in healthcare. Through its initiatives, ISM helps train the next generation of professionals and disseminate new knowledge to improve patient care.

This project is funded through the Economic Development Initiative, which is part of Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028, which supports the economic development of official language minority communities.