IRCM

What IRCM does

The Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) is a non-profit biomedical research institute founded in 1967 in Montreal, Quebec, and is the first research centre in Quebec to integrate basic-science researchers and clinicians under one roof. Affiliated with the Université de Montréal, associated with McGill University, and operating a clinic affiliated with the Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM), IRCM conducts fundamental and clinical research across immunology, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (including diabetes and obesity), infectious diseases, rare and genetic disorders, and developmental biology. The institute operates eight specialized research platforms — Animal Facilities and Animal Health, Bioinformatics, Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics, Flow Cytometry, Disease Modeling and Genome Editing, Microscopy and Imaging, Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, and a Research Platform on Obesity, Metabolism and Diabetes — that serve both internal investigators and external collaborators.

IRCM's revenue model is non-commercial and multi-source. Primary funding flows from competitive research grants awarded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada Research Chairs, the Fonds de Recherche du Québec (FRQ), the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI), and CQDM. Philanthropy is raised through the IRCM Foundation, which is executing a 2021-2026 major campaign that produced a record-breaking 2025 gala. Clinical services are delivered through the CHUM-affiliated IRCM Clinic and generate revenue via standard medical billing. The institute serves three primary stakeholder groups: patients seeking specialized care and clinical study participation, graduate and postdoctoral trainees, and academic/clinical partners at UdeM, McGill, and CHUM.

IRCM's go-to-market is community- and reputation-led rather than sales-driven: outreach runs through press releases, peer-reviewed publications, a newsletter, active social media channels, and events such as the Science POP 2025-2026 program. The institute has not pursued external equity financing, M&A, or an IPO, and remains governed as a non-profit under Quebec jurisdiction with Dr. Jean-François Côté as renewed head since 2019 (mandate extended June 2026).

Name

IRCM

Legal name

Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal

Website

https://ircm.qc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM) is a non-profit biomedical research institute founded in 1967 in Montreal, Canada, conducting fundamental and clinical research across immunology, cancer, metabolic, infectious, and rare diseases, affiliated with Université de Montréal and McGill University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research Funding and Grants: IRCM is a non-profit organization primarily funded through competitive research grants from governmental and non-governmental funding agencies including CIHR (Canadian Institutes of Health Research), Canada Research Chairs, CQDM, and provincial funding bodies like FRQ (Fonds de Recherche du Québec).
2. Foundation Philanthropy: The IRCM Foundation conducts fundraising campaigns (major campaign 2021-2026) and accepts donations to support research activities and infrastructure.
3. Clinical Services: The IRCM Clinic provides healthcare services through CHUM-affiliated facilities, generating revenue through medical services billing.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IRCM is a non-profit biomedical research institute that conducts fundamental and clinical research across molecular biology, genetics, immunology, cancer, metabolic diseases, infectious diseases, and developmental biology. It operates specialized research platforms, a CHUM-affiliated clinic providing patient care, and clinical studies in diabetes, rare genetic diseases, cardiovascular disease, obesity, COVID-19 and inflammatory conditions. It also delivers academic training programs for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduates and international students.

Product overview

IRCM (Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal) is a non-profit biomedical research institute founded in 1967, affiliated with Université de Montréal and associated with McGill University. The organization operates as an integrated research platform combining fundamental and clinical research with a CHUM-affiliated clinic. Its portfolio includes specialized research platforms (Animal Facilities, Bioinformatics, Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics, Flow Cytometry, Disease Modeling and Genome Editing, Microscopy and Imaging, Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, and Obesity/Metabolism/Diabetes research), a clinical studies program covering diabetes, rare diseases, cardiovascular conditions, and post-COVID conditions, and an IRCM Clinic offering patient care combined with research and teaching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IRCM Clinic (CHUM-affiliated) CHUM-affiliated clinic combining patient care, teaching and research, including a Research Centre on Rare and Genetic Diseases in Adults and a Microbiome and Inflammatory Diseases unit. Delivers specialized care for rare and genetic diseases, diabetes, post-COVID conditions, cardiovascular disease and obesity, while serving as a site for clinical research.
• Clinical Studies Program IRCM's clinical studies program recruiting volunteer participants for research on type 1 and type 2 diabetes, COVID-19 and post-COVID conditions, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and ethics. Participants are followed by healthcare professionals including nurses and physicians.
• Research Platforms Specialized shared research platforms at IRCM covering Animal Facilities and Animal Health, Bioinformatics, Molecular Biology and Functional Genomics, Flow Cytometry, Disease Modeling and Genome Editing, Microscopy and Imaging, Mass Spectrometry and Proteomics, and a Research Platform on Obesity, Metabolism and Diabetes. Used by IRCM researchers and collaborators to support fundamental and translational research.
• Academic Training Programs IRCM's academic training offering includes undergraduate internships, graduate studies (master's and PhD), postdoctoral fellowships, and an international student program, delivered in affiliation with Université de Montréal and in association with McGill University.
• Fundamental Research Programs (Cardiovascular, Cancer, Diabetes, Infectious Diseases) IRCM's core fundamental research programs spanning molecular biology, genetics, immunology, cancer research, metabolic diseases (diabetes and obesity), infectious diseases, and developmental biology — including landmark work on proprotein convertases and PCSK9 led by Dr. Nabil G. Seidah.
• Science POP Outreach Program (2025–2026) IRCM's community science outreach program (Science POP 2025–2026) that engages the broader public with biomedical research through educational activities and events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Discovery of PCSK9 protein leading to new cholesterol-lowering treatments (anti-PCSK9 antibodies and RNAi therapies) now available worldwide
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Université de MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRCM is affiliated with Université de Montréal. Researchers hold professorships in UdeM's Department of Medicine and other departments. Joint research collaborations, graduate training programs, and academic supervision of students.
• McGill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRCM is associated with McGill University. Researchers hold adjunct professorships in McGill's Department of Medicine (Division of Experimental Medicine). Collaborative research projects and academic exchanges.
• CHUM (Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIRCM Clinic is affiliated with CHUM, combining healthcare, teaching and research. The clinic provides specialized care and conducts clinical studies in partnership with CHUM facilities.
• Université de Paris-SaclayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with researchers from Université de Paris-Saclay's Department of Drugs and Technologies for Health on PCSK9 structural analyses research.
• University of PisaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research with pharmacy department of University of Pisa, Italy on PCSK9 molecular mechanism research.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Francis Crick Institute: Major UK biomedical discovery institute conducting interdisciplinary research in cancer, immunology, and genetics with embedded training programs. Directly comparable in mission, scale, and multi-platform research infrastructure.
• CRCHUM (Centre de recherche du CHUM): Montreal-based biomedical research centre affiliated with CHUM and Université de Montréal. Highly comparable as a Quebec-based, hospital-integrated research institute with overlapping disease areas (cardiovascular, metabolic, infectious disease).
• Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI): Non-profit medical research institute focused on immunology, cancer, and infectious diseases with integrated clinical research and graduate training. Highly comparable in mission, scale, and translation pipeline.
• The Scripps Research Institute: Non-profit biomedical research institute conducting fundamental and translational research in immunology, molecular biology, and chemistry. Comparable in mission, scale, and integration of basic science with clinical translation.
• Salk Institute for Biological Studies: Non-profit basic-research institute focused on molecular biology, neuroscience, and cancer with integrated graduate training. Highly comparable in mission, researcher-driven model, and platform infrastructure.
• Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics: Non-profit basic-research institute focused on molecular biology, genomics, and disease genetics. Comparable in research-platform model, training mission, and grant-based funding structure.

Regional players

• Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital: Montreal-based biomedical research institute affiliated with McGill University and CIUSSS West-Central Montreal. Directly comparable as a Quebec/Canadian research institute with similar university-hospital integration and disease focus.

Broad incumbents

• Institut Pasteur: Larger internationally-recognized biomedical research institute with integrated research, training, and clinical/public-health missions in infectious disease, immunology, and genetics. Comparable integrated research-to-clinic model and funding mix.
• Broad Institute: Large biomedical and genomic research institute affiliated with MIT and Harvard, integrating genomics, chemical biology, and disease research. Comparable in platform infrastructure and translational mission, but with substantially larger scale and resources.
• Karolinska Institutet: Major medical university-affiliated biomedical research institute with strong focus on translational research, graduate training, and clinical partnerships. Comparable in scale, training mission, and academic-hospital integration.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ircm_mtl
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCd5RrcOYlEHr3WJZtZX-x3A
• Facebookfacebook.com/IRCM.Montreal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ircm
• Instagraminstagram.com/ircm_mtl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IRCM