PRESS RELEASE  
For immediate release

Eight Quebec-Based Solutions to Be Tested in Real-World Clinical Settings

Advanced-stage technologies aimed at improving healthcare delivery

Montreal, June 30,  2026 —MEDTEQ+, a pan-Canadian industrial research and innovation consortium that supports health technology companies in bringing their innovations to market, announces the funding of eight new collaborative projects through the second intake of its Support Program for Validation, Health Innovation and Evaluation (AVISÉ). 

Through the AVISÉ program, funded by Quebec’s Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy and delivered by MEDTEQ+, Quebec continues to support the development and adoption of homegrown healthcare innovations. The eight projects announced today, led by Zilia Inc., Les Solutions Phonia Inc., AlloMia, Plume AI, AI4Eyes, AiguilleAIDE/NeedleAID, Oscar Robotique, and Ikigai Développement and Petit Cactus Inc., demonstrate the vitality of Quebec companies developing practical solutions to address healthcare challenges. By providing access to real-world evaluation environments, with the support of the Health Evaluation and Innovation Network (RÉIS) and the clinical expertise required for validation, AVISÉ helps accelerate deployment for the benefit of patients and healthcare professionals in both public and private institutions. 

These newly selected collaborative projects represent a total value of nearly $7 million, including close to $3.3 million from the Government of Quebec and $3.7 million in private-sector contributions. 

The following projects are being added to the first cohort announced last April. 

  • Real-World Clinical Evaluation of Retinal Oxygen Saturation (StO₂) in Patients with Glaucoma or Retinal Diseases Treated with Anti-VEGF (Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor) 

Led by Zilia Inc., in collaboration with Santé Québec Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Universitaire, responsible for the evaluation within the RÉIS framework, this project will follow two groups of patients with chronic eye diseases at the Bellevue Clinics over a twelve-month period to assess changes in retinal tissue oxygenation during treatment. Using Zilia Ocular, a Quebec-developed non-invasive device that measures retinal oxygen saturation (StO₂), clinicians will compare these data with standard eye examinations. The objective is to determine whether tissue oxygenation can serve as an early biomarker of treatment response and support more personalized monitoring to prevent avoidable vision loss. 

  • PhonIA: Delivering Sustainable Value to Speech-Language Pathology Interventions 

This project aims to evaluate PhonIA, a solution developed by Les Solutions Phonia Inc. that uses artificial intelligence to automate phonetic transcription, analyze speech and language errors, and support speech language pathologists in their work. Evaluated under the supervision of RÉISD in five clinical and educational settings, including one in France, the assessment will measure the technology’s acceptability, usability, effectiveness, and impact among preschool-aged children, school-aged populations, and older adults. The project seeks to reduce the workload of speech-language pathologists and improve service efficiency. 

  • Integration of an AI Voice Agent for Continuous Hospital Support 

This project will validate the implementation of a 24/7 AI Voice Agent powered by AlloMia within Santé Québec Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Universitaire to automate and structure the management of internal requests handled by the Operations and Building Maintenance (EEI) call centre. The AI Agent will function as a telephone gateway, gathering details about reported issues, validating contact information, and automatically creating structured tickets within the Octopus ITSM service management system via API integration, assigning requests to the appropriate resource based on the nature of the intervention required. This automation will ensure 24/7 service continuity, improved data structuring, and reduced administrative workload. 

  • Deployment of an AI-Powered Medical Scribe and Contextual Clinical Assistance Module to Improve Documentation Compliance and Access to Institutional Protocols 

This project aims to evaluate an innovative clinical decision-support solution developed by Plume AI. Integrated directly into clinicians’ workflow interface, the solution automatically suggests relevant protocols, standing orders, and clinical documents during documentation based on the patient’s situation. The evaluation, conducted by Santé Québec Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Universitaire, will examine the solution’s impact on documentation time, adoption rates, documentation compliance, as well as user acceptability and satisfaction. The project is expected to improve clinical compliance, standardize practices, enhance overall quality of care, reduce errors, and support clinical decision-making. 

  • Clinical Validation of the OSDx Platform for AI-Assisted Diagnosis of Ocular Surface Diseases 

This project aims to scientifically validate the clinical performance of OSDx MVP, an innovative AI-powered ocular health diagnostic and treatment recommendation platform developed by AI4Eyes. The evaluation will focus exclusively on the dry eye disease module, which combines multiple diagnostic tests into a single comprehensive examination completed in just a few minutes. AI4Eyes and Santé Québec Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Universitaire will assess image and annotation quality, as well as the accuracy of diagnostic and treatment recommendation algorithms under real-world conditions. 

  • Evaluation of a Sensor-Software Technology to Automate the Collection of Sharps Containers at Sacré-Cœur Hospital and Pierre-Le Gardeur Hospital 

The project presented by NeedleAID aims to validate its sensor-software platform under real-world conditions. The platform automates the collection of sharps and biomedical waste by detecting when and where containers are full or obstructed before problems arise. It also optimizes collection routes and simplifies inventory management. Its goal is to provide hospitals with a tool that makes sharps container collection more efficient, safer, and more standardized. 

  • Evaluation Project of Autonomous Logistics Robots for Transporting Biological Samples in Hospital Settings 

By integrating autonomous robots developed by Oscar Robotique, this project aims to automate the transport of biological samples within the evaluation environment of Fleurimont Hospital, including the Enfant Soleil Pavilion and Emergency Department (PESU). Evaluated by Santé Québec Estrie – Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke, the project seeks to reduce the physical burden, and repetitive travel demands placed on staff while accelerating sample delivery between units. Automating these low-value logistical tasks allows employees to focus on clinical responsibilities and human interactions that are essential to quality care. 

  • Petit Cactus – Real-World Evaluation of a Diabetes Management Platform for All Types of Diabetes 

This project will evaluate Petit Cactus, a solution developed by Ikigai Développement and Petit Cactus Inc., which combines a mobile application for people living with diabetes and a web platform for clinicians. Together, these tools enable real-time collection of data on nutrition, physical activity, blood glucose levels, and emotions, reducing biases associated with incomplete patient recall and improving clinical follow-up. The evaluation, conducted by Santé Québec Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Universitaire and Santé Québec Estrie – CHUS, will assess the clinical value of centralized data, user experience, integration into clinical practice, and the impact on quality of follow-up and care efficiency. The project aims to strengthen patient-clinician coordination and optimize diabetes management in real-world settings. 

A third cohort of technological solutions has already been evaluated, and the selected collaborative projects will be announced later this summer. 

“Our government is committed to driving the growth of the strategic life sciences sector in partnership with MEDTEQ+. Through our AVISÉ program, we will bring Québec innovations to market faster and stimulate economic growth. We are delighted to have helped fund these eight collaborative projects that are sure to have a meaningful impact on the well-being of Quebecers.” — Shirley Dorismond, Member of the National Assembly for Marie-Victorin and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Economy, Innovation, and Energy (Life Sciences)

“MEDTEQ+ is proud of the momentum generated by the AVISÉ program across the entire health technology ecosystem. In just a few months, fifteen projects have been funded to undergo real-world evaluations—a clear indication of the appetite among companies, clinical environments, and partners for innovations that address validated needs. With a second cohort now underway and a third and final cohort to come, AVISÉ is establishing itself as a true adoption accelerator. We are confident that its growth will generate lasting benefits for patients, healthcare professionals, and the competitiveness of Quebec’s health technology industry.” — Annie-Kim Gilbert, Ph.D., President and CEO, MEDTEQ+ 

What is the Health Evaluation and Innovation Network (RÉIS)?

RÉIS is a network of specialized healthcare institutions that collaborate with health technology companies in Quebec (Santé Québec Capitale-Nationale – Universitaire – REISD, Santé Québec – Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Santé Québec Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Universitaire, Santé Québec Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Universitaire – OROT, Santé Québec Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal – Universitaire et Santé Québec Estrie – Centre hospitalier universitaire de Sherbrooke). Its mission is to validate the positioning and relevance of technologies, accelerate their development and evaluation, and facilitate their commercialization both in Quebec and beyond.

About MEDTEQ+

MEDTEQ+, a pan-Canadian industrial research and innovation consortium, is dedicated to helping healthcare technology companies bring their innovations to market, accelerate economic growth and contribute to improving the health of the population. Through its unique expertise and collaborative approach, MEDTEQ+ offers support services across the innovation continuum, validation and integration of technological solutions in real- life environments, financing and networking with key ecosystem partners to accelerate the commercialization of innovative healthcare technologies. MEDTEQ+ also supports the envisAGE initiative, which aims to catalyze the AgeTech ecosystem and stimulate technological development in supporting aging. MEDTEQ+ relies, among others, on financial support from the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the private sector and complementary partners to foster research and industry relations.
www.medteq.ca

SOURCE:

MEDTEQ+
Josée Laflamme, Communication Director, MEDTEQ+, josee.laflamme@medteq.ca  
Emma Lesenechal, Communication Coordinator, MEDTEQ+, emma.lesenechal@medteq.ca