Centre de Recherches Mathematiques

What Centre de Recherches Mathematiques does

Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM) is a non-profit academic research institute founded in 1968 and hosted at Université de Montréal. Its mandate is to advance mathematical sciences research and training in Quebec and to connect the local mathematical community with international collaborators. CRM operates a dual structure that combines two annual thematic research programs (each running multi-month workshops, conferences, and schools around a single theme) with thirteen in-house research laboratories regrouping most of Quebec's research mathematicians and statisticians across Université de Montréal, McGill, Concordia, UQAM, Université Laval, and Université de Sherbrooke. It also hosts the only CNRS International Research Laboratory in Canada (IRL 3457), formalizing a bilateral research presence with France.

The institute runs an integrated portfolio spanning research programming, publications, prizes, training, and public outreach. Flagship products include the Thematic Programs and General Scientific Program (7-8 additional annual workshops/conferences), the Aisenstadt Chairs, CRM Nirenberg Lectures, Distinguished Lectures in Applied Mathematics, and the new (2024) Distinguished Lectures in Mathematical Physics. CRM co-publishes the CRM Proceedings and CRM Monographs with the American Mathematical Society, the CRM Series in Mathematical Physics, CRM Short Courses, and Exceptionals with Springer, and the Springer-indexed journal Annales mathématiques du Québec. It administers Canada's premier mathematics prize (CRM-Fields-PIMS) jointly with the Fields Institute and PIMS, alongside the André-Aisenstadt, CAP-CRM, CRM-SSC, and CRM-ISM-AMQ prizes. The Montreal Industrial Problem Solving Workshops (IPSW), running continuously since 2007, pair academic teams with enterprise and institutional problem submitters (e.g., Radio-Canada, IVADO industrial members) to apply mathematical and statistical methods to concrete problems.

CRM is funded primarily through Canadian federal and Quebec provincial research grants (NSERC, FRQ), with multi-year support from the Simons Foundation for visiting scholars, philanthropic endowments (notably the Jiri Patera and Pavel Winternitz Fund from Mrs. Tatiana Patera), co-publishing royalties from AMS and Springer, modest activity registration fees, and program-specific government grants such as the $1.5M CAD En Avant Math! renewal (2026-2029). It runs no conventional commercial sales motion; go-to-market is event-driven (thematic programs, lecture series, IPSWs), community-led across the Quebec and international mathematical community, and direct-to-consumer for pre-university outreach via Accromath magazine (distributed free to all Quebec high schools and CEGEPs), En Avant Math!, and the Grandes conférences publiques. Customer concentration sits in the public/academic sector: NSERC, FRQ, Université de Montréal, Simons Foundation, and Quebec Ministry of Finance are the principal counterparties, with limited named industrial counterparties (IVADO, Radio-Canada) appearing in IPSW contexts.

Name

Centre de Recherches Mathematiques

Legal name

Centre de recherches mathématiques

Website

https://crmath.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM) is a non-profit academic research institute founded in 1968 at Université de Montréal, hosting two annual thematic programs and thirteen research laboratories serving Quebec's mathematics community and international collaborators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montréal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government research grants: Core funding from NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) and FRQ (Fonds de recherche du Québec); supports thematic programs, workshops, schools, poster design, and visiting scholars.
2. Simons Foundation funding: Multi-year grant from the Simons Foundation supporting Simons-CRM Scholars-in-Residence program, visiting professors, and postdoctoral fellowships.
3. Activity registration fees: Per-workshop registration fees partially cover coffee breaks; 2026 minimums of $60/week (students), $100/week (postdoctoral), $150/week (professors); CRM retains $20/person admin fee; banquet/social fees billed separately ($30-$150).
4. Industrial Problem Solving Workshop sponsorship: Financing for IPSWs from MITACS/Mprime (2007-2013), NSERC Institutes Innovation Platform (2015-2017), and the IVADO consortium (since 2019), with IVADO industrial members also supplying problems.
5. Government program grants (En Avant Math!): Three-year $1.5M renewal of the En Avant Math! program (announced June 3, 2026) in partnership with CIRANO and the Quebec Ministry of Finance; third phase running through 2029.
6. Co-publishing royalties: Co-publication book series with AMS (CRM Proceedings, CRM Monographs) and Springer (CRM Series in Mathematical Physics, CRM Short Courses, Exceptionals); Springer also co-publishes Annales mathématiques du Québec.
7. Philanthropic donations: Donations such as Mrs. Tatiana Patera's contribution establishing the Jiri Patera and Pavel Winternitz Fund supporting the Distinguished Lectures in Mathematical Physics series.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Centre de recherches mathematiques (CRM) is a non-profit academic research institute founded in 1968 at Universite de Montreal. It hosts two annual thematic research programs, 7-8 workshops and conferences per year, distinguished lecture series, thirteen research laboratories, an international research laboratory jointly with CNRS (France), and a portfolio of publication series co-published with AMS and Springer. It also administers prizes (CRM-Fields-PIMS, Andre-Aisenstadt, CAP-CRM, CRM-SSC, CRM-ISM-AMQ) and runs outreach programs including the Industrial Problem Solving Workshops, Accromath magazine, and En Avant MATH!

Product overview

Centre de recherches mathématiques (CRM), founded in 1968 at the Université de Montréal, is a research institute rather than a commercial software vendor; its "products" are an integrated portfolio of research programming, publications, prizes, outreach initiatives, and laboratory infrastructure for the mathematical sciences. The portfolio combines (a) two annual Thematic Programs and a General Scientific Program of workshops/conferences, supported by the Aisenstadt Chairs, CRM Nirenberg Lectures in Geometric Analysis, Distinguished Lectures in Applied Mathematics, and (new in 2024) Distinguished Lectures in Mathematical Physics; (b) thirteen research laboratories (including CAMBAM, CICMA, CIRGET, GIREF, LACIM, Mila, Quantact, PhysNum, Probability, Statistics, and Mathematical Analysis/Physics/Applied Mathematics) and the IRL CRM-CNRS international research laboratory; (c) publication series including the CRM Proceedings (AMS), CRM Monographs Series (AMS), CRM Series in Mathematical Physics (Springer), CRM Short Courses (Springer), Exceptionals (Springer), the Springer journal Annales mathématiques du Québec, and Le Bulletin du CRM; (d) training and outreach programs such as the Séminaire de mathématiques supérieures (SMS), CRM–ISM Postdoctoral Fellowships, the En Avant MATH ! outreach initiative (video capsules and field projects, renewed for 2026–2029 at $1.5M), Accromath, and the Montreal Industrial Problem Solving Workshops (IPSW) where statistics and AI methods are applied to industry problems; and (e) a portfolio of prizes including the flagship CRM-Fields-PIMS Prize and the André-Aisenstadt, CAP-CRM, CRM-SSC, and CRM-ISM-AMQ Prizes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Bulletin du CRM: Twice-yearly bulletin (launched June 1990) covering news about CRM scientific activities; resuming in a new format from Fall 2025.
• Accromath
• En Avant MATH!
• Annales mathématiques du Québec
• CRM-Fields-PIMS Prize

Products and services

• Thematic Programs CRM's flagship annual research programs comprising coordinated workshops, conferences, and schools focused on a single mathematical theme over a multi-month period, with two thematic programs run each year supported by NSERC, FRQ, Simons Foundation, CNRS-IRL, and outside sources.
• General Scientific Program 7-8 annual workshops and conferences held outside the thematic programs, covering a broad spectrum of mathematical sciences.
• Montreal Industrial Problem Solving Workshops (IPSW) Week-long workshops organized by CRM since 2007 in which academic researchers, students, and representatives of public or private institutions collaborate to solve concrete problems submitted by enterprises or institutions using mathematical methods, including statistics and AI techniques.
• IRL CRM-CNRS (International Research Laboratory) International research laboratory co-established by CRM and the French CNRS (IRL 3457) that hosts visiting French researchers in residence at CRM in Montreal, covering number theory, geometry, mathematical physics, probability, statistics, and applied mathematics.
• CRM Proceedings (AMS) Conference proceedings volumes co-published with the American Mathematical Society in the Contemporary Mathematics series, covering themes from CRM workshops and conferences.
• CRM Monographs Series (AMS) Monograph series co-published with the American Mathematical Society featuring extended research monographs, including those arising from Aisenstadt Chair lectures.
• Annales mathematiques du Quebec Springer journal founded in 1977 (renamed 2013) publishing high-caliber work across pure mathematics and occasionally applied mathematics, mathematical physics, and computer science, with support for thematic issues.
• Accromath Bi-annual magazine and interactive website produced jointly by the Institut des sciences mathematiques (ISM) and CRM, distributed free of charge to all Quebec high schools and CEGEPs to stimulate interest in mathematical sciences.
• En Avant MATH! Outreach initiative that develops mathematical skills from early childhood through secondary school, including video capsules for parents and educators of children aged 3-5 and field projects across Quebec.
• CRM Distinguished Researcher Program recognizing distinguished researchers associated with the CRM.
• CRM-Fields-PIMS Prize The premier Canadian award recognizing exceptional contributions to research in mathematical sciences, jointly sponsored by CRM, Fields Institute, and PIMS.
• Andre-Aisenstadt Prize Prize awarded by CRM recognizing outstanding research by an early-career Canadian mathematician.
• Simons-CRM Scholars-in-Residence International research stay program supported by the Simons Foundation that hosts visiting scholars at CRM in Montreal.
• Support Program for Researchers at Risk CRM program offering support to mathematicians in distress who are at risk.
• Aisenstadt Chairs Prestigious visiting lectureship offered to up to two leading international mathematicians per thematic program; the Chair is invited to submit a manuscript to the CRM Monograph Series published by the AMS.
• CRM Nirenberg Lectures in Geometric Analysis Prestigious lecture series in geometric analysis hosted by the CRM.
• CRM-ISM Postdoctoral Fellowships Postdoctoral fellowship program co-sponsored by CRM and the Institut des sciences mathematiques (ISM) to support early-career researchers.
• CRM Research Laboratories Network of thirteen high-performance research laboratories regrouping most of Quebec's research mathematicians and statisticians, including Mathematical Analysis, CAMBAM, CICMA, CIRGET, GIREF, LACIM, Applied Mathematics, Mila, Mathematical Physics, PhysNum, Probability, Quantact, and Statistics.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded in 1968 and active continuously for nearly 60 years
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

28 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Barcelona CRM (Centre de Recerca Matemàtica)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2024Signed 2024-06-17. Formal collaboration agreement between CRM-Montréal and CRM-Barcelona covering researcher exchanges, joint scientific activities, and shared programming. Listed under CRM's international collaboration menu as the CRM-Barcelona Exchange.
• Institute for Basic Science (IBS, South Korea)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 February 2024Signed 2024-02-07. Bilateral agreement establishing the CRM-IBS Exchange for research collaboration and researcher mobility between CRM and IBS Korea.
• Centre international de rencontres mathématiques (CIRM)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2023Signed 2023-11-15. Bilateral collaboration agreement establishing the CRM-CIRM Exchange for researcher mobility and joint scientific programming between the two mathematical research centers in Marseille and Montreal.
• Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS, France)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the IRL CRM-CNRS (International Research Laboratory 3457), the only CNRS IRL in Canada. Co-directed by Emmanuel Royer and Franco Saliola; hosts rotating French researchers at CRM and funds long-term stays of French researchers in Montreal; underlies the France-Québec research stay program.
• CIRANO (Centre Interuniversitaire de Recherche en Analyse des Organisations)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-partner with CRM on the En Avant Math! program (third phase $1.5M, 2026-2029, announced June 3, 2026); co-publishes reports on the contribution of mathematical skills to Quebec's economy and income mobility, and on employers' perceptions of workers' mathematical skills.
• Université de MontréalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost institution of CRM at Pavillon André-Aisenstadt; provides the Direction de la prévention et de la sécurité, Bureau du respect de la personne, and adherence to UdeM's Policy to prevent and combat sexual misconduct.
• McGill UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner; hosts Department of Mathematics and Statistics affiliated with CRM labs.
• Concordia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner; hosts Department of Mathematics and Statistics affiliated with CRM labs.
• Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner; hosts multiple CRM-affiliated labs including LACIM, CIRGET, Quantact; co-hosts ISM and CRM-ISM postdoctoral and undergraduate summer scholarships.
• Université LavalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner; hosts GIREF and Department of Mathematics and Statistics affiliated with CRM.
• Université de SherbrookecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner; hosts Department of Mathematics affiliated with CRM.
• Institut des sciences mathématiques (ISM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-host of CRM-ISM Postdoctoral Fellowships and CRM-ISM Undergraduate Summer Scholarships; co-publisher of Accromath magazine.
• American Mathematical Society (AMS)flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCo-publisher of CRM Proceedings (in Contemporary Mathematics series) and CRM Monographs Series; CRM Proceedings and Monographs volumes are sold via the AMS bookstore.
• SpringerflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerCo-publisher of CRM Series in Mathematical Physics, CRM Short Courses, and Exceptionals; publisher of Annales mathématiques du Québec (Springer journal).
• Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor (with CRM and Fields Institute) of the CRM-Fields-PIMS Prize, Canada's most prestigious award for mathematical sciences; supports joint Summer School in Probability and other activities.
• Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical SciencesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor (with CRM and PIMS) of the CRM-Fields-PIMS Prize.
• Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS / SMC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the CRM-SSC Prize (with the Statistical Society of Canada); co-administers the André-Aisenstadt Prize; bestows CMS Fellowships on CRM members (e.g., Alina Stancu, Class of 2026).
• Statistical Society of Canada (SSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the CRM-SSC Prize for early-career statisticians.
• Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP / ACP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the CAP-CRM Prize for mathematical physics.
• Association Mathématique du Québec (AMQ)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the CRM-ISM-AMQ Prize for outstanding AMQ publication.
• GERAD (Groupe d'études et de recherche en analyse des décisions)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located with CRM in the André-Aisenstadt pavilion; co-organizes Industrial Problem Solving Workshops and hosts proceedings.
• CIRRELT (Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur les réseaux d'entreprise, la logistique et le transport)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-located with CRM in the André-Aisenstadt pavilion; partners on operations research and transportation/energy economics applications in IPSWs.
• Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics Society (CAIMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among useful mathematical links as a Canadian mathematical science partner organization.
• Atlantic Association for Research in the Mathematical Sciences (AARMS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among useful mathematical links as a Canadian mathematical science partner organization.
• Banff International Research Station (BIRS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among useful mathematical links as a Canadian mathematical science partner organization.
• Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute (CANSSI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among useful mathematical links as a Canadian mathematical science partner organization.
• Centre for Experimental and Constructive Mathematics (CECM), Simon Fraser UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among useful mathematical links as a Canadian mathematical science partner organization.
• National Research Council Canada (NRCC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed among useful mathematical links as a partner organization.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Banff International Research Station (BIRS): Joint Canadian-Mexican-US mathematical sciences research station offering 5-day workshops and summer schools. Directly comparable to CRM's thematic and workshop programming in mission and audience.
• Centre International de Rencontres Mathématiques (CIRM): Marseille-based French mathematics center with which CRM has a 2023 bilateral exchange agreement. Runs comparable thematic programs, workshops, and a "Mathematics in Industry" program (similar to CRM's IPSWs), serving overlapping academic and industrial audiences.
• Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences: Toronto-based Canadian mathematics research institute, co-sponsor with CRM and PIMS of the CRM-Fields-PIMS Prize. Operates a directly comparable portfolio of thematic programs, workshops, distinguished lectures and prizes, targeting the same Canadian and international mathematical community.
• Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS): Western-Canadian counterpart to CRM and co-sponsor of the CRM-Fields-PIMS Prize. Runs a similar model of distributed university-affiliated sites, thematic programs, distinguished lectures, and prizes across the mathematical sciences.
• Centre de Recerca Matemàtica (CRM Barcelona): Catalan mathematics research center with which CRM-Montréal signed a bilateral collaboration agreement in June 2024. Runs a directly analogous portfolio of research programs, seminars and outreach in Spain.

Broad incumbents

• Institute for Advanced Study (IAS): Princeton-based independent research institution whose School of Mathematics hosts permanent and visiting mathematicians. While broader in scope (also physics, historical studies), the School is a leading comparable to CRM's mathematical research mission.
• Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques (IHES): French independent research institute with permanent and visiting mathematicians. Sister institute in spirit to CRM's IRL CRM-CNRS French partnership, with comparable international visiting-program model.
• Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (SLMath, formerly MSRI): Berkeley-based premier U.S. mathematics research institute running multi-semester thematic programs and a broader international workshop portfolio. Operates at a larger scale than CRM but offers directly overlapping programming for visiting mathematicians.
• Max Planck Institute for Mathematics: Bonn-based German mathematics institute under the Max Planck Society, hosting research programs, workshops and visiting scholars. Comparable in mission and audience to CRM, with a broader international scope.

Regional players

• Mila (Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute): Montreal-based AI research institute that is one of CRM's 13 affiliated laboratories. Operates in an adjacent AI/mathematical sciences space in the same Quebec ecosystem and benefits from CRM's administrative affiliation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Centrederecherchesmath%C3%A9matiquesCRM
• Xx.com/CRM_Montreal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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