Quebec City, juin, 29 2023 - The Executive Committee of the City of Québec announces that it will recommend to the next City Council the awarding of a $1 million grant to 2 Degrés, an environmental and clean technology incubator, to carry out feasibility studies for the creation of the Carrefour de l'eau, a world-class centre of expertise in the field of water. This agreement is part of the Support for Structuring Projects component of the Québec 2026 Entrepreneurial Vision, in partnership with the Québec government.
It's possible to make Quebec City a leader in water management," said Bruno Marchand, Mayor of Quebec City. It starts with a partnership as important as the one with 2 Degrés. We'll be able to channel our successes, pool our efforts and, above all, continue to innovate in this field. I'm very happy that a Quebec City company can help us propel our expertise forward.
2 Degrés is very proud to assume the leadership of this large-scale, forward-looking structuring project in the field of water, one of the 3 pillars of our organization since its founding," says Alexandre Guindon, General Manager and co-founder of 2 Degrés. The consortium of Carrefour de l'eau partners that we represent would like to express our gratitude and thank the City of Quebec for this important commitment to us for years to come! Other levels of government will be welcome to join the project in future phases.
The Carrefour de l'eau is a project designed to make Quebec City a world leader in sustainable development, particularly in the field of water-related technologies, whether recycling, treatment or sanitation.
The $1 million grant will be used to carry out in-depth economic and technical feasibility studies to assess the economic viability, construction costs and operating costs of the Carrefour de l'eau, and to hire a project manager.
The Water Crossroads
The planned center of expertise would bring together under one roof all the expertise and resources needed to develop new technologies in the water sector, train researchers and start up companies that can market their innovations worldwide.
The project comprises six components:
- Premises and laboratories for teaching, research and development, where the clean technologies of the future will be developed;
- Test benches and equipment to test, validate and demonstrate technologies on a real scale, and turn them into innovations;
- An incubator for companies specializing in water technologies to bring innovations to market;
- A recycled water plant to supply recycled water to organizations that currently consume large quantities of drinking water for industrial purposes;
- An interpretation center;
- A real estate cluster to enable companies and organizations in the water technology sector to rent premises.
The project is in line with the orientations of the City of Quebec's Sustainable Development Strategy and Drinking Water Conservation Strategy, as it contributes to the preservation of water resources and ensures access to quality drinking water for all.
The Carrefour de l'eau is the result of collaboration between a number of partners: H2O Innovation, Patriarche Architecture, 2 Degrés, INRS, the Quebec Port Authority and the City of Quebec, and brings together the complementary strengths of each of the water-related fields of expertise under a single banner. The industrial-port zone is targeted as a potential location for the project.
The total cost is $1,272,500.
About the Québec 2026 Entrepreneurial Vision
Focusing on entrepreneurship, innovation, growth, financing and support, the Québec 2026 Entrepreneurial Vision aims to make Québec City the entrepreneurial capital of the country. It brings together financial assistance programs and measures to help businesses grow. The Vision is supported by over $134.6 million in funding from the Fonds de la région de la Capitale-Nationale (FRCN) of the Secrétariat à la Capitale-Nationale. The FRCN was created in 2018 under the Act granting Québec City the status of national capital, thereby increasing its autonomy and powers, and has a considerable impact on the region.
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Source : Amélie Cauchon
Communications department
418 641-6210
amelie.cauchon@ville.quebec.qc.ca
Interviews :
Thomas Gaudreault
Press Attaché City Hall Office
418 456-2282
thomas.gaudreault@ville.quebec.qc.ca
