IRME

What IRME does

IRME UQAT-Polytechnique is a non-profit joint research institute founded in 2013 and co-operated by Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT) and Polytechnique Montréal, with five industrial mining partners (Agnico Eagle, IAMGOLD, Raglan Mine/Glencore, Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium, and Dhilmar-Éléonore LP). Its mandate is to develop applied environmental solutions covering the entire mine life cycle — exploration, operation, closure, and post-closure reclamation — with research programs spanning mine site reclamation, circular-economy valorization of mining waste, geotechnical stability of tailings and waste rock, water quality prediction, active and passive mine water treatment, contaminant transport modeling, climate change adaptation for cold-regions mining, and community/Indigenous knowledge sharing.

Its technology base is research-driven rather than product-driven: it operates five research chairs (three Canada Research Chairs on contaminated mine water, mine waste reprocessing, and cold-regions geoenvironment; two institutional chairs on critical minerals geochemistry and on rehabilitation of mine/metallurgical waste storage areas), plus eight thematic research programs and an active graduate training pipeline producing over 100 Master's, PhD, and postdoctoral graduates since 2013. Technical capabilities include coupled numerical reactive-transport simulations, isotope/XANES-based water quality prediction, electrical resistivity tomography for tailings characterization, and laboratory/in-situ characterization of filtered tailings — yielding an output of over 1,000 scientific publications.

IRME does not sell products or services commercially. Its revenue model is a mixed grant-plus-consortium model: government research funding from Quebec and Canadian federal agencies plus direct financial and in-kind contributions from five industrial mining partners, who also provide real-world research sites (e.g., Westwood, Éléonore, Raglan, Lac Tio/Sorel-Tracy). Go-to-market is community- and consortium-led: knowledge transfer occurs via graduate training, scientific publication, the Bulletin de l'IRME newsletter, Mines et Environnement webinars, IRME-Polytechnique seminars, the Quebec Mines et Énergie Congress, and an exclusive Partner Zone portal. The consortium operates under a renewable 7-year mandate (currently 2020–2026, with renewal sought for 2027–2034), governed by a board whose presidency rotates among industrial partner executives.

Name

IRME

Legal name

Institut de recherche en mines et environnement (IRME) UQAT-Polytechnique

Website

https://irme.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IRME UQAT-Polytechnique is a non-profit joint research institute founded in 2013 by UQAT, Polytechnique Montréal, and five major mining partners (Agnico Eagle, IAMGOLD, Glencore/Raglan, Rio Tinto, Dhilmar-Éléonore) that develops applied environmental solutions — reclamation, water treatment, tailings stability, climate adaptation — across the entire mine life cycle while training graduate students for Quebec's mining sector.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Montreal

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: Research funding from provincial (Québec) and federal (Canada) government funding agencies supporting scientific research programs.
2. Industrial Partner Contributions: Financial and in-kind support from five industrial partners (Agnico Eagle, Dhilmar-Éléonore, IAMGOLD, Raglan Mine/Glencore, Rio Tinto) who co-fund research activities and provide real-world research sites.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

IRME UQAT-Polytechnique is a non-profit joint research institute that develops applied environmental solutions for the mining sector across the entire mine life cycle, including mine site reclamation, water quality prediction and treatment, waste rock and tailings management, contaminant transport modeling, and climate change adaptation. It operates five research chairs and eight thematic research programs, and trains highly qualified personnel through graduate studies (Master's, PhD, postdoctoral) in partnership with UQAT and Polytechnique Montréal.

Product overview

IRME UQAT-Polytechnique is a joint research institute focused on developing environmental solutions for the entire mining lifecycle. The organization operates through a portfolio of five research chairs (Canada Research Chairs and institutional chairs) and eight thematic research programs covering mine site reclamation, circular economy in mining, geotechnical stability, water quality prediction, mine water treatment, contaminant transport, climate influence, and community knowledge sharing. IRME also offers graduate training programs (Master's, PhD, Postdoctoral) through its partner universities UQAT and Polytechnique Montréal. The institute collaborates with five industrial partners including mining companies Agnico Eagle, Dhilmar-Éléonore, IAMGOLD, Raglan Mine (Glencore), and Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Canada Research Chair on Treatment and Management of Contaminated Mine Waters Research program optimizing passive and active treatment systems for contaminated mine waters, including classical and emerging contaminants, delivered to mining industry partners.
• Canada Research Chair in Repurposing of Mine Waste Research program developing waste reprocessing techniques to reduce environmental impacts and maximize mineral resource recovery from mine wastes.
• Canada Research Chair in Geoenvironment of Mining in Cold Regions Research program addressing mining challenges in Canada's northern and remote regions affected by seasonal freeze-thaw cycles and permafrost under climate change conditions.
• Institutional Chair in Environmental Geochemistry of Critical and Strategic Mineral Resources Research program strengthening upstream knowledge in critical and strategic mineral sectors to support responsible and sustainable economic development aligned with Québec government policy.
• REGENERE Institutional Research Chair Research program addressing rehabilitation of mine and metallurgical waste storage areas.
• Mine Site Reclamation Research Program Applied research on in situ evaluation, long-term monitoring of reclamation scenarios, revegetation, reforestation, use of geomembranes, and restoration of tailings and waste rock piles across climates, including northern climates.
• Circular Economy Applied to Mining Research Program Applied research on valorization and integrated management of mine wastes including underground backfilling, cemented backfill behavior, geometallurgy, and progressive restoration of storage areas.
• Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Stability Research Program Applied research on characterization of mine waste, new management methods, geotechnical behavior of filtered tailings facilities, stability monitoring, and hydrogeological behavior of storage areas.
• Water Quality Prediction Research Program Applied research on predicting long-term behavior of potentially contaminated drainage, coupled numerical simulations, and integration of new technologies (isotopes, XANES) and mineralogy for water quality prediction.
• Treatment and Management of Mine Waters Research Program Applied research on optimization of active and passive mine water treatment, emerging contaminants, identification of toxicity sources, and water balances during operation and closure.
• Graduate Studies Programs (Master's, PhD, Postdoctoral) Graduate-level training programs in mining and environmental engineering offered through UQAT and Polytechnique Montréal, with professional and research master's tracks, doctoral programs, and postdoctoral opportunities; over 100 students have completed training since 2013.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 100 graduate students trained since 2013
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Dhilmar-Éléonore LPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Private mining company that acquired the Éléonore Mine in 2025. Located in Northern Québec within Eeyou Istchee territory. Committed to innovation through research and development for environmental protection including post-closure restoration.
• Agnico Eagle MinescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Senior Canadian gold mining company producing precious metals since 1957 with mines in Canada, Finland and Mexico. Sustainable development is integrated into business strategy. Partner in IRME focusing on tailings and water management research.
• IAMGOLD CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Mid-tier mining company with three operating gold mines on two continents. Operates Westwood Mine. Committed to Zero Incident approach with focus on health, safety, environmental impact minimization and community partnerships.
• Raglan Mine (Glencore)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Operates some of the world's richest underground nickel mines in Nunavik (Arctic Quebec). Committed to environmental mitigation, stakeholder engagement, and site reclamation for current and future generations.
• Rio Tinto Iron and TitaniumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Operates ilmenite deposit at Lake Tio (Côte-Nord, QC) and metallurgical complex in Sorel-Tracy. Committed to responsible corporate citizenship, process improvement, and sustainable project development.
• Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue (UQAT)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013One of two founding universities of the IRME research institute. Provides research facilities, faculty, and graduate programs in mining environmental science.
• Polytechnique MontréalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013One of two founding universities of the IRME research institute. Provides engineering research expertise and graduate programs in mining and geological engineering.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irme-rime

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 IRME