29 May 2016

PRESS RELEASE – About twenty consuls general, honorary consuls, and diplomats based in Montréal are visiting Sherbrooke today to meet with stakeholders from the economic and scientific realms, and to discover this city’s assets as a major innovation and research hub.

During the day, which was organized by Sherbrooke Innopole in collaboration with the Université de Sherbrooke, Bishop’s University, and the City of Sherbrooke, this delegation of representatives from 14 European, Asian, African, and North American countries will attend several presentations and a luncheon lecture with the Mayor of Sherbrooke, and visit several industries.

“This is the first time that the Consular Corps has come to Sherbrooke for a formal activity, and we are very pleased to be doing so,” noted Beat Kaser, Dean of the Consular Corps in Montréal and Consul General of Switzerland in Montréal. “This program, set up by Sherbrooke Innopole, is enabling us to become better acquainted with this innovative and dynamic community, and to identify international exchange opportunities with this major Québec city.”

To Pierre Tremblay, President of Sherbrooke Innopole Board of Directors, “The visit of such a delegation composed of numerous consuls is a tremendous honour, and an exceptional opportunity to showcase Sherbrooke’s innovating talents to the world. We have planned both a conference program and visits that will promote Sherbrooke as a privileged location for startups, innovation, and investments to diplomats who talk to companies interested in opening up subsidiaries in Québec.”

This Montréal Consular Corps visit stems from Hubert Roisin’s time in Sherbrooke during the second edition of the Sherbrooke International Life Sciences Summit in September 2015. Mr. Roisin is a member of the Consular Corps and Consul General of Belgium.

Mayor Bernard Sévigny is pleased to welcome this delegation to Sherbrooke. “I am delighted to see that Sherbrooke Innopole’s efforts to position Sherbrooke as a city of knowledge and innovation is producing results. The Consular Corps’ visit will allow us to enhance this perception and to create bridges with economic and institutional stakeholders for future developments. It is also a unique opportunity to showcase our entrepreneurial community’s dynamism, and the quality of life offered by a regional capital immersed in a natural setting.”

In the morning, the delegation will have the chance to learn more about Sherbrooke’s business environment, and specifically its key industrial sectors, entrepreneurial projects, research ecosystem, expertise, technological infrastructure, and related knowledge economy through presentations by Sherbrooke Innopole, the Université de Sherbrooke, and Bishop’s University.

In the afternoon, these diplomats will visit Espace-INC, the incubator and accelerator of innovative businesses, and subsequently take any of the four different guided tours of research centres and businesses based on their specific interests, i.e. life sciences, clean technologies, nanotechnologies, or advanced manufacturing.

Source : Sherbrooke Innopole