Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles - CRUJeF

What Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles - CRUJeF does

CRUJeF (Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles) is a publicly funded university research centre headquartered at 2915 Avenue du Bourg-Royal, Québec City, within the CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale and affiliated with Université Laval. Founded in 1995 as the Institut universitaire du Centre jeunesse de Québec, it was the first Quebec establishment to receive the university institute designation in the social domain. It conducts fundamental and applied social science research on vulnerable youth and families, addressing child maltreatment, youth behavioral problems, family dysfunction, parental separation and recombination, transitions out of youth protection, and program evaluation across four research axes. Its core methodological toolkit includes longitudinal studies, mixed methods, intervention evaluation, conceptual mapping, and psychojudicial protocols, supported by approximately 10 affiliated research chairs (including Canada Research Chairs) and a network of 40+ partner universities and research institutions.

The centre operates a Research-Practice Alliance (Alliance recherche-pratique) that embeds researchers within frontline clinical teams through dedicated liaison roles (intervenants pivots), and produces practice-oriented tools such as conceptual maps and a Family Functioning Assessment Protocol. Its productized outputs include the DÉFIS podcast (Dialogues on Childhood, Family, and Social Intervention), the Découvertes scientific bulletin, scientific monitoring on the sexual exploitation of minors, infographics, and an annual training and events portfolio (free scientific conferences and webinars, École d'été summer school featuring qualitative methods and AI applications, Journées scientifiques, Mois scientifique, and the Collectif Paradoxes series in its 5th edition). It funds student and researcher projects through twice-yearly internal competitions and supervises graduate and postdoctoral trainees.

CRUJeF's business model is institutional rather than commercial: primary funding comes from Quebec's FRQSC and MSSS via its parent CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, supplemented by research grants and project-specific awards. Most activities (conferences, webinars, scientific events) are offered free to CIUSSS employees and member researchers; the École d'été summer school charges registration fees only to external participants. Its primary beneficiaries are Quebec's health and social services system (vulnerable youth in protection services and their families), with secondary audiences comprising graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and frontline practitioners across the health and social services network. Scientific leadership sits with Director Caroline Cellard (Université Laval), supported by Deputy Directors Jean-Pascal Lemelin (Université de Sherbrooke) and Alexandra Matte-Landry (Université Laval), with operational administration led by France Nadeau.

Name

Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles - CRUJeF

Legal name

Centre de recherche universitaire sur les jeunes et les familles (CRUJeF)

Website

https://crujef.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRUJeF is a publicly funded Quebec university research centre, affiliated with Université Laval and structurally embedded in CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. It conducts applied social science research on vulnerable youth and families, develops practice-oriented tools, and delivers scientific training and knowledge-mobilization outputs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Québec (Quebec City)

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Research Funding: CRUJeF operates as a publicly funded university research centre affiliated with Université Laval and part of CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. Primary funding sources include the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC) and the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS). The centre also offers internal financial support competitions for researchers and students twice yearly, funded from its institutional budget.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CRUJeF is a publicly funded university research centre that conducts fundamental and applied research on vulnerable youth and families, and translates the findings into practice-ready tools, training programs, and knowledge-mobilization activities for the Quebec health and social services network. Its offerings include hosted research projects, free scientific conferences and webinars, an annual summer school, scientific publications, a podcast (DÉFIS), a popularization bulletin (Découvertes), research-practice alliance tools, and financial support competitions for researchers and students.

Product overview

CRUJeF is a university research center organized as a research infrastructure offering multiple interconnected services: scientific events (conferences, webinars, scientific days, summer school, Paradoxes collective), research support (project funding, student grants, publication support), knowledge mobilization (DÉFIS podcast, Découvertes bulletin, scientific monitoring), and practice-oriented initiatives (Research-Practice Alliance). The center operates through four research axes focused on vulnerable youth development, family functioning, service improvement, and program evaluation. Rather than a software product, CRUJeF offers a comprehensive research ecosystem combining training, knowledge dissemination, and partnership services for academic and practice communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DÉFIS Podcast (Dialogues sur l'enfance, la famille et l'intervention sociale) Podcast series featuring dialogues on childhood, family, and social intervention, serving as the research centre's audio communication channel for researchers, practitioners, and the broader public.
• Découvertes Bulletin Scientific popularization bulletin that disseminates CRUJeF research findings to broader audiences, translating complex research into accessible content for practitioners, families, and the public.
• Scientific Monitoring on Sexual Exploitation of Minors Specialized scientific watch service that tracks developments in the field of sexual exploitation of minors, providing updated knowledge for researchers and practitioners.
• Summer School (École d'été) Annual intensive training program offering workshops on qualitative research methods, meta-analysis, systematic literature reviews, and emerging topics such as AI applications in research, for graduate students, researchers, and practitioners.
• Scientific Conferences and Webinars Regular virtual conferences and webinars featuring research presentations on youth and family topics, freely accessible and archived on YouTube for ongoing public access.
• Scientific Days (Journées scientifiques) Annual scientific gathering bringing together researchers, students, and practitioners to share research findings, featuring poster presentations, keynote speeches, and member assemblies.
• Collectif Paradoxes Themed research event series (5th edition on 'Se reconstruire') focused on youth in transition to adult life experiencing vulnerability, bringing together researchers and stakeholders.
• Mois scientifique du CRUJeF Annual month-long scientific event featuring webinars, student activities, and conferences on specific themes related to youth and family research.
• Research Project Support Services Financial and administrative support services including project development funding, scientific communication participation support, article translation, and student thesis support, offered through bi-annual competitions to CRUJeF members.
• Alliance recherche-pratique (Research-Practice Alliance) Partnership initiative bridging research and practice through conceptual maps, family functioning assessment protocols, and campaigns against sexual exploitation of minors, co-developed with frontline clinical teams.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research informs improvements to youth protection practices, family services, and government policy across Quebec
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Université LavalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversité Laval is CRUJeF's primary academic affiliation. The centre's researchers hold faculty positions at Université Laval (e.g., Caroline Cellard at the School of Psychology, Alexandra Matte-Landry at the School of Social Work and Criminology). Graduate students from Université Laval and other universities conduct research at the centre.
• Université de MontréalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating university with joint research activities and shared researchers (e.g., GRIP research group affiliation).
• Université de SherbrookemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRUJeF's Deputy Scientific Director Jean-Pascal Lemelin is a professor at Université de Sherbrooke's Department of Psychoeducation. Collaborative research with GRISE group.
• Université McGillmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating university with joint research activities in child and youth development research.
• Université du Québec à Chicoutimi (UQAC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-titular of the VISAJ research chair and host of research projects involving CRUJeF researchers and students.
• Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiple collaborative research projects with UQTR researchers including Karine Poitras (holder of UQTR Excellence in Teaching Chair on psychological and psychosocial expertise in family matters) and Jessica Pearson (holder of UQTR Junior Research Chair on child temperament).
• Centre de recherche Jeunes, familles et réponses sociales (JEFAR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJEFAR is a partner research centre at Université Laval with overlapping research themes on youth, families, and social responses. CRUJeF researchers maintain affiliations with JEFAR.
• Centre de recherche CERVOmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCERVO is a major Laval university research centre. CRUJeF researchers including Caroline Cellard maintain affiliations with CERVO through the CÉISM research group.
• Chaire Richelieu de recherche sur la jeunesse, l'enfance et la famillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThis research chair is held by Alexandra Matte-Landry (CRUJeF Deputy Scientific Director) and contributes to the centre's research programming on trauma, child development, and resilience.
• Association Internationale pour la Formation, la Recherche et l'Intervention Sociale (AIFRIS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational association for social work research and intervention. CRUJeF participates in this international network for knowledge exchange and collaboration in social services research.
• Centre de pédiatrie sociale de QuébecmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe centre works with the Centre de pédiatrie sociale de Québec, a community organization providing social pediatrics services to vulnerable children and families.
• CIUSSS de la Capitale-NationalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRUJeF is structurally embedded within CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale as one of its four research centres. The centre's staff, facilities, and research access are integrated with the CIUSSS's youth protection and youth difficulty service directions.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Centre de recherche du Centre jeunesse de Montréal - Institut universitaire: Montréal-based university institute in youth protection and youth difficulty services, operating with the same designation model as CRUJeF. Directly comparable in mandate, structural model, and the applied research-practice integration approach.
• Centre de recherche Jeunes, familles et réponses sociales (JEFAR): Université Laval research centre with overlapping mandate on youth, families, and social responses. JEFAR researchers share affiliations with CRUJeF and both centres collaborate on joint research programming, making it the closest direct peer in Quebec.
• GRISE - Groupe de recherche et d'interventions sur les adaptations sociales de l'enfance: Sherbrooke University research group focused on children's social and emotional adaptations and psychoeducation. CRUJeF Deputy Scientific Director Jean-Pascal Lemelin is a Sherbrooke-GRISE professor, making this a directly comparable peer in research themes and methodology.

Regional players

• Centre de recherche en santé publique (CReSP) - UQAM: Public health research centre with social sciences research themes intersecting with CRUJeF's vulnerable populations agenda. Operates within Quebec's francophone university research ecosystem with comparable funding sources.
• Centre de recherche du Centre intégré universitaire de santé et services sociaux du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal (CIUSSS NIM): Hosts university research structures embedded in a Montreal-area CIUSSS, mirroring CRUJeF's structural model within CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale. Comparable in mission and integration model, but serves a different Montreal region.

Broad incumbents

• Centre de recherche de l'Hôpital Sainte-Justine: One of Canada's largest pediatric research centres, also affiliated with Université de Montréal. While its primary focus is biomedical and clinical pediatric research, it conducts social and familial research that intersects with CRUJeF's vulnerable youth agenda.
• Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal (CIUSSS de l'Est): University-affiliated research centre within a Montreal CIUSSS focused on mental health. Overlaps with CRUJeF's youth mental health research stream and shares the institutional model of university research centres embedded in public health and social services systems.
• Centre de recherche universitaire en santé mentale (CÉISM) / CERVO: Laval-affiliated research network where CRUJeF Scientific Director Caroline Cellard holds an affiliation. Functions as a broader umbrella for mental health research at Université Laval, intersecting with CRUJeF's youth mental health axis.
• Institut de recherche en santé publique de l'Université de Montréal (IRSPUM): Université de Montréal's public health research institute. While broader in scope, it intersects with CRUJeF's themes of youth and family well-being and shares the francophone Quebec public-sector research ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Chaire de recherche du Canada sur la maltraitance envers les enfants: Canada Research Chairs program hosts multiple funded chairs on child maltreatment and youth welfare that produce research in direct thematic overlap with CRUJeF. Functions as a peer set within the same national funding ecosystem and research community.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsHxwwyt4OxTKZjWMX3fKvQ
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crujef

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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