Scientist in Action

The IVADO “Scientist in Action” program aims at startups interested in hosting a master’s-level intern to advance an innovation project in artificial intelligence.

The master’s student participating in the program will complete a credited internship in addition to gaining entrepreneurial experience and exploring new career opportunities.

The program objective is to match talents to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This is achieved by means of a credited applied research internship at a startup company.

The candidate acquires experience in the entrepreneurial environment and is in a better position to make career choices.

For the startup, the program offers a unique opportunity to access sought-after expertise at an affordable cost, while promoting its organizational culture and potentially recruiting a new team member.

Any project involving artificial intelligence and its applications, for example:

• Business intelligence
• Operations research
• Data science
• Data visualization
• NLP
• Machine learning
• Etc.

For examples of mandates, here is a summary of some internship offers from previous editions.

2024

Lisplogics – Real-Time Battery Switching and Broken Bike Pickup Algorithm for Bike-Sharing

Lisplogics is an operations research company focusing on the optimization and automation of real-time operations in the shared mobility and transportation sectors, with customers including Bixi and Communauto.

The project consists in developing a dynamic algorithm to optimize battery swapping and broken bike recovery operations in a bike-sharing system (1 algorithm for both). The aim is to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the current system by integrating a predictive model and a dynamic routing algorithm.

Neuro Solutions Group – Optimizing an avatar parent coach for children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Dive into the future of digital health with an internship at Neuro Solutions Group! We’re looking for an intern with a passion for AI to revolutionize the way parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders interact with our avatars. You’ll develop an advanced chatbot for smooth communication, implement machine learning for nuanced responses, and create personalized, data-driven notifications for parental insights. Collaborate with experts to integrate a comprehensive parenting guide and improve tracking of child behavior and medication, to better manage treatment plans. Join us in shaping the future of child development and parenting support with cutting-edge technology!

Our flagship product, Kairos, aims to enrich the lives of children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and ASD, and optimize their care by healthcare professionals. Integrating cutting-edge techniques such as gamification and artificial intelligence, Kairos offers immersive and effective therapy, enriched by key data to personalize treatments. Launched in Canada in 2022, Kairos quickly gained recognition, winning a Pediatric Device Innovation Award in Texas. Pilots are currently underway with CHUS Sherbrooke and CHU Ste-Justine. Our sights are now set on Europe, where Kairos is poised to become Canada’s first DiGA application, prescribed for children aged 6 to 12. This is an excellent opportunity to collaborate with experts in child development, parenting psychology and AI technology.

2023

Sport AI – Computer vision and natural language applied to soccer performance analysis.

At Sport AI, we use artificial intelligence to analyze the performance of soccer teams in real time to help the coaching team in their decision-making in addition to helping players improve.

The intern will have the opportunity to work on one of the following two requirements:

• Develop a computer vision model (supervised learning, OpenCV or TensorFlow framework) capable of detecting players and the ball in soccer videos in real time. In addition, a natural language recognition (NLP, PyTorch) model will be developed to label match events using voice commands.
• The detection model should be able to recognize people on the pitch and follow them throughout the video. The NLP model will have to result in a model that can be integrated with our performance analysis platform (operator) to communicate with our database in real time.

2022

Mely.AI – Development of an artificial intelligence model to facilitate data extraction from forms

At Mely.ai, we’re changing the supply chain and logistics landscape by providing the industry with AI-assisted tools. We want to offer an unprecedented experience to our users with the latest technologies to better serve their customers.

Mely.ai’s current added value is the ability to extract data from forms using specific templates. We also have a method for extracting data without a template, but it lacks precision.

The aim of the project is to create a generic model that will enable us to better extract data from a form into structured data. Using computer vision techniques, we will be able to identify tabular data as well as available key values.

As part of this internship, your responsibilities will include :

• Analyze the company’s current methods in order to make an assessment;
• Propose an alternative solution to the current information extraction method;
• Implement the solution in proof-of-concept mode;
• Deploy the solution on the Mely.ai SaaS platform.

Although the program is open to all students enrolled in Campus Montréal institutions (Université de Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal), McGill University and Laval University who meet the eligibility criteria and demonstrate the abilities required for the project, the main academic programs from which the students will be drawn are as follows:

HEC Montréal

• M.Sc. in Business Intelligence
• M.Sc. in Data Science and Business Analytics

Polytechnique Montréal

• Modular Master’s (or DESS) in Computer Engineering
• Engineering and Data Analytics option
• Artificial Intelligence in Interactive Digital Entertainment option

 Université de Montréal

• Master’s in Computer Science – Supervised Internship option
• DESS in Machine Learning
• Professional master’s degree in machine learning

Université McGill

• M.Sc. (Non-Thesis) Computer Science
• Master in Engineering and Computer Science

Université Laval

• Master in Computer Science – Artificial Intelligence
• M.Sc. Business Analytics

• November 28, 2024 to midnight January 6, 2025: Call for internship projects from startups
• January 7 to January 31, 2025: Projects selected and approved by partner universities
• February 3 to 23, 2025: Publication of internship offers and interviews
• February 3, 2025, 12pm to 1pm: Student event: “Find your summer internship in AI”. Selected startups present their internship projects
• February 24 to March 21, 2025: Finalization of internship agreements and submission of Mitacs applications
• From May 2025: Start of internships.

Scientist in Action is a program of credited summer internships in AI carried out by master’s students.

Ten startups will be selected and receive IVADO co-funding for one Mitacs internship unit. The official start date is subject to Mitacs approval. We are not responsible for these delays.

Option 1: Polytechnique, HEC, McGill and DESS Mila

Duration: 4 months full-time or 6 months part-time

Value: $15,000

Cost:

Startup: $3750 + tx
IVADO : $3750
Mitacs: $7500

Option 2: Université Laval and Université de Montréal (DIRO and Mila)

Duration: 6 months full-time or 8 months part-time

Value: $30,000

Cost:

Startup: $11250 + tx
IVADO: $3750
Mitacs: $15,000

The startup’s contribution will be invoiced by Mitacs and must be paid on receipt, prior to the start of the internship. Any delay in payment of the contribution will result in a postponement of the start of the internship.

For more information on the Mitacs Business Strategy Internship program.

For the student

• Be enrolled in an Master program at one of our partner universities: Université de Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal, HEC Montréal, McGill University, Université Laval;
• Register the internship as part of your course load (supervised project or credited internship);
  NB. It is the student’s responsibility to take the administrative steps to register the internship in his or her academic program.

• Submit an application following the home university’s standard process.

 For the startup

• Have less than 20 employees;
• Have a competent person to host the intern (the project does not rest on the shoulders of the intern);
• Be part of or have completed a program with a recognized entrepreneurial support organization (accelerator or incubator) within the last three years;
• Pay the invoice of $3750 + tx upon receipt to Mitacs before the start of the course.

Reminder: The internship will not be approved and cannot begin until the invoice has been paid. This is a determining factor in the realization of the internship and the start date. No exceptions are permitted.

For the student

The list of available internships and information about each application process will be available in the “List of available internships” section below.

For the startup

Complete and submit this form before midnight January 6, 2025. Any submission that is incomplete or sent by any means other than the form will be automatically rejected.

We suggest that you copy and paste your text once written.

If you have any questions, please contact: entrepreneuriat@ivado.ca

ÁCARA CLIMATE – Optimizing agricultural climate risk analysis using Machine Learning

ÁCARA CLIMATE is an actuarial agricultural risk management software that quantifies probable crop yields and losses. Our advanced ecosystem and climate models combine various agronomic and meteorological parameters.

Our probabilistic analysis quantifies the impact of climate change on agricultural activities. Allowing future crop losses to be anticipated by encouraging resilient agricultural practices to minimize the impacts of climate change.

The main objective of this project is to significantly improve the accuracy of climate risk predictions in agriculture through the optimization of the ÁCARA CLIMATE actuarial software (process-based model – computer simulation model).

This internship offers a unique opportunity to integrate technological advances in AI/ML in the field of climate risk management in agriculture.

The intern will work on the development of a hybrid model combining process-based models, risk assessment models and advanced machine learning techniques.

This model will then be trained and validated using historical data, and prepared for pilot projects in collaboration with partner customers, aimed at testing its effectiveness under real-life conditions.

Location and work mode: Montreal, hybrid
Language: Bilingual

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

HEC – Portail Ma Carrière, offre #66205
ULaval – Portail Stages et emplois, offre #451759
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium

Groupe Neuro Solutions – Optimization of a parental avatar coach for children with neurodevelopmental disorders

Dive into the future of digital health with an internship at Neuro Solutions Group! We’re searching for an intern passionate about AI to revolutionize how parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders interact with our avatars. You’ll craft an advanced chatbot for seamless communication, implement machine learning for nuanced responses, and create personalized, data-driven notifications for parenting insights. Collaborate with experts to integrate a comprehensive parental guide and enhance monitoring of child behavior and medication, to support better management of treatment plans. Join us to shape the future of child development and parental support with cutting-edge technology!

Our flagship product, Kairos, aims to enrich the lives of children with these disorders and optimize their care by healthcare professionals. Incorporating cutting-edge techniques such as gamification and artificial intelligence, Kairos offers immersive and effective therapy, enriched by key data to personalize treatment. Launched in Canada in 2022, Kairos quickly gained recognition, winning a Pediatric Device Innovation Award in Texas. Pilots are currently underway with CHUS Sherbrooke and CHU Ste-Justine. Our sights are now set on Europe, where Kairos is set to become the first Canadian DiGA application, prescribed for children aged 6 to 12.

This is an excellent opportunity to collaborate with experts in child development, parenting psychology and AI technology.

Location and work mode: Québec, hybrid or remote
Language: Bilingual, mainly French

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

HEC – Portail Ma Carrière, offre #66212
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium

Sentiom – MLOps Development and Data Analysis for Intelligent Multi-residential Building Optimization

Sentiom‘s mission is to carry out the digital transformation and facilitate the energy transition of existing multi-residential real estate, into intelligent, sustainable and caring buildings. To achieve this, Sentiom has developed a disruptive innovation, a fully integrated multi-service ‘deeptech’ solution using Internet of Things (IoT), 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin technologies. Our solution gives sentience, a real nervous system for feeling and reacting through conscious choices, to buildings. Our IoT technology measures and monitors movement, temperature, humidity, vibration, brightness, energy, water consumption, etc., and attaches this data to a digital twin; an expert system and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.

We are looking for a dynamic intern with a passion for Machine Learning Operations (MLOps) and data analysis to join our technical team. This internship offers a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience in deploying intelligent algorithms and managing operations related to Machine Learning, directly linked to our mission of making residential buildings smarter, more sustainable and safer.

The intern will work closely with our R&D team to achieve the following objectives:

MLOps development:

• Participate in the implementation of MLOps architectures to facilitate the deployment and management of models related to resident safety and comfort.
• Collaborate in the creation of automated pipelines for model training, evaluation and deployment.

Data analysis and pattern identification:

• Analyze the varied datasets collected by our sensors to identify meaningful trends, correlations and patterns.
• Contribute to the creation of intelligent algorithms based on the results of data analysis for proactive building management.

Location and work mode: Montreal, hybrid
Language: French and may need to speak English with some partners

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

HEC – Portail Ma Carrière, offre #66219
ULaval – Portail Stages et emplois, offre #451806
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium

Chemia Discovery – Predicting Material Properties from Electronic Band Structures: Integrating Machine Learning with Computational Modeling Techniques

Chemia Discovery Inc. provides specialized technology R&D services, focusing on materials discovery, which is essential for the advent of next-generation technologies. It aims to discover novel functional materials for applications such as carbon capture, waste heat recovery and energy storage. Its approach combines high-throughput experimental screening, utilizing its proprietary microfurnace technology, with computational modeling and data science.

The project involves the development of a machine learning model which can predict targeted properties of materials from their band structure. Computational modeling methods, such as ab initio (quantum chemistry) calculations, Density Functional Theory and Molecular Dynamics, enable us to calculate properties of materials from their crystalline structure. The band structure is a representation of how the electrons are distributed in the material and how they behave. This is linked to many properties of the material, such that visualizing the band structure can elucidate the underlying electronic properties of materials. However, establishing such a correlation is far from trivial and necessitates extensive and intensive calculations. We envision that machine learning could bridge easily computed band structures with electronic properties of interest, namely total magnetization, piezoelectric and dielectric constants.

Location and work mode: Sherbrooke, remote
Language: Bilingual

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

HEC – Portail Ma Carrière, offre #66220
ULaval – Portail Stages et emplois, offre #451815
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium

Momentum Health – AI-Driven non-invasive spinal deformity management

Momentum Health is an AI-based digital health platform for remote spine care management. From a 45-second video taken on a smartphone, their technology creates a photo-realistic 3D Model of the patient’s body and using AI predicts the degrees of spinal curvature and assesses the patient’s spinal deformity from the surface topography.

The internship project at Momentum Health is focused on advancing the field of AI-driven spinal deformity management. The intern will work on developing sophisticated machine learning models to predict the progression of spinal deformities and adapt existing AI algorithms for direct 3D mesh data input, aiming to revolutionize spine care diagnostics and patient monitoring.

Location and work mode: Montréal, remote or hybrid
Language: Bilingual

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

ULaval – Portail Stages et emplois, offre #451819
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium

Élance – Enhancement of the DEI Data Collection and Analysis Platform and Development of an AI Chatbot for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Élance offers an intelligent SaaS platform that helps companies manage their internal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The platform offers a demographic diagnosis cross-referenced with DEI data, customized employee training and recommendations adapted to their identities, while ensuring continuous measurement of the company’s DEI performance.

The objective of the internship is to develop artificial intelligence models to automate the cross-analysis of DEI data. The data cross-analysis includes identity data, with DEI performance indicators, industry benchmarking statistics and the best organizational recommendations linked to the data collected. The various ML models that will be developed will enable the automation of personalized pathways tailored to each user. The aim is to advance the ability of SaaS to serve customers in a semi-automated way. The intern will also be responsible for ensuring the ethics behind the creation of the models and the protection of sensitive data.

Location and work mode: Montréal, remote or hybrid
Language: Bilingual

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

HEC – Portail Ma Carrière, offre #66221
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium

Lila Solution – Retail demand forecasting

Lila Solutions offers a purchasing planning application: sales forecasting and inventory management.

Lila’s aim is to provide access to purchasing tools for SMEs that cannot afford an expensive integrated system.

The aim of the project is to develop a demand prediction model to help retailers predict what they will be able to sell in the future, based on various parameters: number of products, type of products, inventory on hand at the time of sale, market trends, etc.

Location and work mode: Québec, remote or hybrid
Language: Bilingual

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

HEC – Portail Ma Carrière, offre #66222
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche

Shearwater Aerospace – Unlocking Perpetual Flight through Thermal Prediction

Inspired by how birds fly, Shearwater Aerospace applies AI technology to make drones fly faster and stay in the air much longer. Their autonomous operating system, Smart Flight, enables scalable, adaptive and resilient drone operations by coordinating drones and generating dynamic flight routes that leverage wind energy. This enables drones to fly 25% faster in transit and stay in the air loitering 800% longer.

Shearwater Aerospace is developing an autonomous operating software, Smart Flight, for professional and commercial drones. Smart Flight revolutionizes drone capabilities, enabling them to achieve extended flight durations, higher speeds, and increased operational frequency through the integration of cutting-edge artificial intelligence and wind-powered autonomy. This internship opportunity provides a unique chance to collaborate with an experienced team and world-class researchers specializing in autonomous soaring. The objective of the project is to develop and train a model that takes weather and terrain as input and automatically predicts the location of thermals, an important source of atmospheric energy.

Location and work mode: Montreal, hybrid
Language: Bilingual

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

ULaval – Portail Stages et emplois, offre #451825
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium

Fanslab – Personalized social knowledge hub, powered by AI

Fanslab is an all-in-one social learning platform (SaaS) that transforms professional knowledge networks into intelligent communities. By connecting people, ideas and opportunities, we promote a human approach to strengthening collective intelligence. Through collaborative learning experiences, intelligent networking spaces and interactive events, we reconnect communities across a continuum of social experiences that foster connections with high human value. Together, we create a world where knowledge, action and social impact meet to build a better future.

Develop a personalized experience for each virtual community member by providing a personal dashboard powered by supervised machine learning algorithms to synthesize, classify and recommend high-value, relevant content (video, audio, text) from intra-community and extra-platform data sources.

As an Artificial Intelligence Intern for the Personalized Social Knowledge Hub project, your responsibilities will focus on the application of advanced machine learning and natural language processing techniques. You will play a key role in the development and improvement of the system’s intelligent functionalities.

Location and work mode: Montreal, hybrid
Language: Bilingual

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

HEC – Portail Ma Carrière, offre #66223
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium (4-month internship only)

Lisplogics – Real-Time Battery Switching and Broken Bike Collection Algorithm for Bike-Sharing

Lisplogics is an operations research company focusing on the optimization and automation of real-time operations in the shared mobility and transportation sectors.

Lisplogics customers include Bixi and Communauto.

The project consists in developing a dynamic algorithm to optimize battery swapping and broken-bike recovery operations in a bike-sharing system (1 single algorithm for both).

The aim is to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of the current system by integrating a predictive model and a dynamic routing algorithm.

Location and work mode: Montreal, hybrid
Language: Bilingual

For more details and to apply, see the full job offer:

HEC – Portail Ma Carrière, offre #66283
ULaval – Portail Stages et emplois, offre #451828
McGill – You have received an email to this effect
Polytechnique – La Ruche
Université de Montréal / Mila – Studium

A committee composed of:

• Two to three IVADO technology transfer advisors, including the entrepreneurship advisor,
• The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Advisor

The committee will assess the applications and make a selection based primarily on compliance with eligibility criteria, the quality of the proposed internship project and the project’s impact on the company. The evaluation committee will be multidisciplinary and in line with EDI principles.

The IVADO entrepreneurship advisor will present the selected internship projects to the partner universities, who will judge which proposals meet the requirements of their programs and can be presented to their students.

As for the choice of interns, it’s the startup’s responsibility to interview and confirm the successful candidate to the entrepreneurship advisor before the date they’ll be given.

As this is not a research internship, all intellectual property belongs and remains with the startup. A confidentiality agreement (NDA) may be signed between the intern and the company. As this is not a research internship, all intellectual property belongs and remains with the startup. A confidentiality agreement (NDA) may be signed between the intern and the company.

For interns

Demonstrate integrity and respect in all aspects of your collaboration with the startup;

Respect the terms of the internship and ensure that objectives and deliverables are met to the best of your ability;

Mention IVADO in public communications about the internship and participate, whenever possible, in IVADO student activities.

For the startup company

Respect EDI principles when selecting candidates, in accordance with the IVADO EDI reference framework;

Consult the IVADO brochure on unconscious bias in recruitment;

Provide a working environment and infrastructure that enables the smooth running and completion of the project;

Demonstrate integrity and respect in all aspects of your collaboration with the intern;

Be available on February 9, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., for the presentation of internship projects to the student community;

Be available during the process leading up to the submission of the Mitacs application (a few meetings and e-mail exchanges are to be expected);

Complete the short feedback survey sent by IVADO at the end of the course;

Mention IVADO in public communications related to the intern’s work.

IVADO’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion

To ensure that all members of society benefit equally from the advancement of knowledge and opportunities, IVADO promotes the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion in all its programs. IVADO is committed to providing a recruitment process and research framework that are inclusive, non-discriminatory, open and transparent.