DIAGNOS and ETS Announce $1M+ Federal Investment to Propel Next-Generation Retinal AI Innovation

Executive Summary

• The Canadian federal government, via NSERC and Mitacs, is providing a combined investment of over CAD 1 million to Diagnos Inc. for multi‑year AI research on retinal image analysis.
• Diagnos will match the grant with CAD 500,000 in cash and in‑kind contributions, establishing an industrial research chair at ÉTS.
• The program funds eight highly qualified personnel (five graduate students and three postdoctoral researchers) to develop next‑generation deep‑learning algorithms for early detection of eye diseases.

Key Details

• NSERC Alliance Grant: CAD 725,734 over five years to cover advanced research activities and core discovery costs.
• Mitacs Accelerate Funding: CAD 293,331 to support specialized internships, reinforcing industry–academic collaboration.
• Diagnos Matching Contribution: CAD 500,000 total (CAD 100,000 per year) in cash and in‑kind resources for the same five‑year period.
• Personnel Supported: 8 Highly Qualified Personnel – 5 graduate students + 3 postdoctoral researchers.
• Research Focus: Development of state‑of‑the‑art AI methodologies to improve accuracy, robustness, and clinical relevance of retinal disease detection.
• Project Title: “Towards the Next Generation of Deep Learning Algorithms for Retinal Image Analysis.”
• Collaboration Structure: Industrial research chair established at École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS) with joint oversight by Diagnos and academic partners.
• Timeline: Funding spans five years; project is entering its second semester with researcher onboarding nearing completion.

Notable Quotes

“This funding builds on our investment and experience, unlocking eight additional resources that expand our research and development capacity,” – André Larente, President and CEO, Diagnos Inc.

“Being selected through this process is a strong endorsement of both the scientific quality and the translational relevance of our work,” – Prof. Ismail Ben Ayed, Research Chair holder at ÉTS.