CRIAQ was created based on an open model of innovation. Every two years, we have a research forum, and businesses are asked to present project ideas before the whole group. We had one recently in May, and 600 people attended. The project ideas are relatively simple. At the start, there are three slides, then, afterwards, a discussion is held. People look for industrial partners and research partners. The project is developed jointly by the two parties. There are always surprises.
I'll give you a very concrete example. Two years ago, Bombardier proposed developing a new research theme on the inside of aircraft. We're talking here about interior design. At the time, we were told that no university researchers were interested in the interior design of aircraft, especially the interface between wood and polymer, in the case of corporate aircraft. There were 10 researchers. I was director of the mechanical engineering department at the École polytechnique at the time.
One day, a young researcher I knew very well came forward. He said that, while he was doing his doctorate in England, people had developed a technology for measuring the surface finish of Aston Martins, the type of car James Bond drives; they have a very fine surface finish. He suggested using that technology to measure the quantified finishes, the original finishes of Bombardier aircraft, when they leave the factory. That way, measures can be established when they come back. Bombardier would never have found that researcher and the researcher would never have found a business to promote his research.
The advantage of open innovation is that it gives rise to plenty of surprises, to partnerships that we didn't expect. At our last forum, the SMEs were strongly encouraged to put forward project ideas. Some of them did. The large businesses joined the SMEs, saying that they were going to develop this technology with them. Of course, the SMEs are well positioned to benefit greatly from these technologies.