What Axelys does

Axelys is a non-profit organization created in April 2021 by the Quebec government as the mandated coordinator of public research valorization across the province. Headquartered in Quebec City with a second office in Montreal, the organization consolidates and operates the technology transfer and commercialization infrastructure previously distributed across Quebec's universities, 59 college technology transfer centers (CCTTs), hospital research centers, and private research institutes. Its purpose is to accelerate the development and transfer of high-potential innovations from public research into the Quebec economy, retaining intellectual property and economic value domestically rather than losing it to out-of-province licensees.

The core service offering, branded as L'Expérience Axelys, operationalizes a five-stage process — Awareness (Sensibilisation), Scouting (Repérage), Assessment and Selection (Évaluation et sélection), Development Support (Accompagnement à la maturation), and Transfer/Deployment (Transfert) — delivered through five stakeholder spaces (Inventor and Creator, Research Institution, Entrepreneur and Startup, Investor, Industry and Community). A network of 60 embedded innovation brokers works directly with researchers and institutions across Quebec to identify, evaluate, protect, develop, and deploy inventions. Axelys maintains a searchable Innovation Portfolio (built on the Inteum Technology Publisher platform) of licensable technologies and supports both technological innovation and social entrepreneurship across disciplines, including social sciences, humanities, arts, and literature. The organization has codified its methodology into the Innovation Readiness Level (IRL) framework (published May 2026), and operates a Scientific Entrepreneurship Roundtable coordinating 40+ organizations. Since inception it has supported 163 patent applications (127, or 78%, from Quebec entities) and 67 technology transfers (52 to Quebec-based organizations).

The business model is government-funded rather than commercial. Axelys receives public funding allocations from Quebec's Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE) under the SQRI2 strategy, which commits $7.5 billion in planned investments province-wide over five years. Services are provided to public research institutions at no direct cost; there are no commercial pricing tiers, no parent-company revenue, no funding rounds (equity or debt), and no M&A. Distribution is a direct, regionally distributed model: regional directors and brokers serve institutions across all Quebec regions through on-site engagement, workshops, scheduled consultations, the online portfolio portal, and event participation (including Startupfest, Lab2Market, EFFERVESCENCE, and the annual Boot Camp de la valorisation). Customer segments are all institutional/public-good: public research institutions (primary), researchers and graduate students (primary), scientific entrepreneurs and startups (primary), investors (secondary), and industry partners (secondary).

Name

Axelys

Legal name

Axelys

Website

https://axelys.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Axelys is a Quebec government-mandated non-profit that operates the province's public research valorization and technology transfer ecosystem, serving universities, researchers, entrepreneurs, and industry through 60 embedded innovation brokers and 59 college technology transfer centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technology Transfer Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology Transfer & Innovation-Driven Research Universities (High Commercialization) (EDAHABAH)

Keywords

• Technology transfer services
• Innovation brokerage
• Research commercialization
• Intellectual property licensing
• Public research support

Headquarters

HQ city

Quebec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Axelys is a non-profit organization created and funded by the Quebec government. The organization operates through public funding allocations from the Ministry of Economy, Innovation and Energy (MEIE) and does not generate commercial revenue from products or services. The organization coordinates the Quebec Approach to Scientific Entrepreneurship and various innovation initiatives as part of the SQRI2 strategy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Axelys is a non-profit technology transfer organization created by the Quebec government in April 2021 to accelerate the development and transfer of innovations from Quebec's public research. The organization integrates 59 college technology transfer centers (CCTTs) and deploys a network of 60 innovation brokers who guide researchers and entrepreneurs through a structured 5-stage process (Invent, Assess, Protect, Develop, Deploy) using an Innovation Readiness Level (IRL) framework. It maintains an online Innovation Portfolio of licensable technologies built on the Inteum Technology Publisher platform to connect public research discoveries with industry and investors.

Product overview

Axelys is a non-profit technology transfer organization created by the Quebec government in April 2021 that serves as the central hub for public research commercialization across Quebec. The organization's core offering is L'Expérience Axelys, a comprehensive service ecosystem that guides innovations through a five-stage process: Invent (invention disclosure), Assess (evaluation and selection), Protect (intellectual property strategy), Develop (business plan and financing), and Deploy (transfer or startup creation). Axelys maintains a technology portfolio of licensable innovations from Quebec's research institutions and provides targeted services through specialized spaces for researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and industry partners. The organization has also developed the Innovation Readiness Level (IRL) framework as a structured reference for innovation maturation. Services are delivered through a network of 60 innovation brokers embedded in universities and research institutes throughout Quebec.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• L'Expérience Axelys End-to-end technology transfer service for Quebec's public research community, guiding researchers, entrepreneurs, and institutions through structured stages from invention identification to market deployment.
• Innovation Portfolio Online catalogue of licensable technologies and innovations originating from Quebec's public research institutions, designed for industry, entrepreneurs, and investors seeking to license or commercialize discoveries.
• Innovation Broker Network Advisory and brokerage service delivered through a network of 60 innovation brokers linked to 59 college technology transfer centers, providing personalized support to researchers and technology transfer offices.

Quantifiable outcome

• 163 patent applications supported, with 127 (78%) from Quebec companies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

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

• FORPIQ (Forum sur la retombée économique de la propriété intellectuelle)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 June 2026Axelys collaborated with FORPIQ to publish a white paper on evaluating the socio-economic impact of knowledge transfer from public research. This partnership supports evidence-based innovation policy and practice.
• Quebec GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026Axelys was created by and receives ongoing funding from the Quebec government as the mandated organization for public research valorization. The government provides strategic direction through the SQRI2 strategy with $7.5 billion in planned investments over five years.
• Luc Sirois (Innovateur en chef du Québec)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Luc Sirois, Quebec's Chief Innovation Officer, mandated the creation of Axelys and continues to provide strategic leadership for the innovation ecosystem. He orchestrates the consolidation of research transfer activities under the Axelys umbrella.
• 59 CCTT (Centres collégiaux de transfert de technologie)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 202159 college technology transfer centers are integrated under the Axelys umbrella, forming a comprehensive network covering all of Quebec's public research infrastructure across college and university sectors.
• Table de concertation en entrepreneuriat scientifiqueflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2021Axelys coordinates a roundtable of over 40 organizations including universities, scientific entrepreneurs, support organizations, and investors working on five collaborative work streams: Research, Awareness, Inter-faculty Programming, Referral, and Private Financing.
• École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAxelys partnered with ÉTS to host the first Boot Camp de la valorisation in February 2023, bringing together over 170 innovation brokers, experts, and stakeholders for two days of workshops on technology transfer.
• Espace AérominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAxelys provided financial support to Espace Aéro through a project call aimed at addressing valorization and innovation support needs for innovation zones and centers in Quebec's aerospace sector.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CSIRO: Australia's national science agency conducting research and actively commercializing outcomes through spinouts, licensing, and industry partnerships. Comparable as a public-sector research commercialization engine.
• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's applied research organization operating 76 institutes that bridge public research and industry commercialization. Conceptually comparable as a publicly-funded applied-research-to-market intermediary, though at vastly larger scale.
• National Research Council of Canada (NRC) / IRAP: Canada's federal research and technology organization, including the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP). Comparable as a publicly-funded research commercialization engine but operating at national scale and overlapping with Axelys' mandate.

Direct peers

• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based innovation hub that supports entrepreneurs, researchers, and startups in commercializing science and technology. Highly comparable as a publicly-supported innovation intermediary serving a major Canadian research ecosystem, though operating at city rather than province scale.
• Univalor: Quebec-based technology transfer organization managing intellectual property and commercialization for Université de Montréal and affiliated institutions. Closest direct peer given overlapping Quebec mandate and technology transfer focus.
• Alberta Innovates: Provincial innovation agency funding and supporting applied research, commercialization, and entrepreneurship across Alberta. Comparable as a province-level government-backed research valorization organization, though with a broader funding mandate.
• Innovate Calgary: University of Calgary's technology transfer and innovation support office serving researchers, startups, and industry in Alberta. Comparable mandate around IP protection, startup creation, and commercialization of public research.

Others

• ADRIQ: Quebec association of industrial research directors that awarded Axelys its 2022 Public Research Innovation Prize. Comparable ecosystem participant and adjacent convening body for Quebec's industrial R&D community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/axelysQC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2RZhPU_I86ZTu3xAa7CtUQ/about
• Facebookfacebook.com/axelysQC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/axelysqc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Axelys