Diagnos expects to receive $1M in federal investments

Executive Summary

• Diagnos Inc. announced a combined federal and company investment exceeding $1 million to accelerate the development of next-generation AI for retinal image analysis.
• The funding is structured as a five-year commitment, combining an NSERC Alliance Grant, a Mitacs internship contribution, and a $500,000 match from Diagnos to establish an industrial research chair at ETS.
• The project will support eight highly qualified personnel and aims to translate advanced deep learning algorithms into clinically deployable tools for earlier retinal disease detection.

Key Details

• Total Funding Commitment: >$1 million over five years
• NSERC Alliance Grant: $725,734 over five years to support advanced research activities and core discovery costs
• Mitacs Contribution: $293,331 to finance specialized Accelerate internships, reinforcing industry-academic collaboration
• Diagnos Match: $500,000 over five years ($100,000/year) in financial and in-kind contributions, establishing an industrial research chair at École de technologie supérieure (ETS)
• Talent Development: Funds eight highly qualified personnel (HQPs), comprising five graduate students and three postdoctoral researchers
• Project Title: "Towards the Next Generation of Deep Learning Algorithms for Retinal Image Analysis"
• Project Focus: Advancing AI methodologies to improve accuracy, robustness, and clinical relevance in retinal disease detection; translating academic research into real-world clinical deployment
• Project Status: Second semester, with advanced recruitment and researcher onboarding nearing completion
• Key Partners: Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Mitacs, École de technologie supérieure (ETS)

Notable Quotes

• Andre Larente, President and CEO: "This funding builds on our investment and experience, unlocking eight additional resources that expand our research and development capacity... By combining federal investment with our internal expertise, proprietary data sets and clinical partnerships, we are creating a powerful acceleration engine for next-generation retinal AI that will translate into real clinical and commercial impact."
• Prof. Ismail Ben Ayed, Research Chair Holder at ETS: "The NSERC Alliance program is built on a rigorous, peer-reviewed evaluation process and a high level of national competitiveness... Being selected through this process is a strong endorsement of both the scientific quality and the translational relevance of our work."