REGAL - Centre de recherche sur l'aluminium / Aluminium Research Centre

What REGAL - Centre de recherche sur l'aluminium / Aluminium Research Centre does

REGAL (Centre de recherche sur l'aluminium / Aluminium Research Centre) is a Quebec-based strategic research consortium headquartered at Université Laval in Québec City and the only research centre in the world 100% dedicated to aluminium. Founded in 2005 and operating as a non-profit "regroupement stratégique" funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies (FRQ), REGAL brings together 62 scientists and over 150 graduate students from eight Quebec academic institutions — Université Laval, UQAC, Université de Sherbrooke, McGill, Concordia, Polytechnique Montréal, École de technologie supérieure, and Cégep de Trois-Rivières — to conduct research spanning five axes: primary aluminium production (Hall-Héroult process, carbon anodes, electrolysis), metallurgy and transformation processes (die casting, semisolid processing), aluminium applications, Aluminium 4.0 (AI integration, future smelters), and responsible aluminium (circular economy, decarbonation, bauxite residue valorization). Associated operating entities include CURAL at UQAC, the Centre de Métallurgie du Québec (CMQ) at Cégep de Trois-Rivières, and Centre ExtrametAL at Université Laval.

REGAL's business model is non-commercial. The organization does not sell products or services; it delivers research outputs, talent training, and collaborative R&D projects funded through FRQ strategic-grouping support, NSERC Alliance grants, Mitacs Accelerate grants, and project-specific Quebec/Ministry capital programs (notably the CAD 20M CURAL expansion at UQAC and a PSO V4 grant for CMQ equipment). Industry engagement is mediated through AluQuébec, Alcoa, Rio Tinto, and the Norwegian-Canadian CaNal partnership with NTNU and SINTEF, with co-funded research chairs and joint R&D projects. Distribution of expertise occurs via the member-institution network, international conferences (INALCO, S2P, TMS, CMSC), publications such as the "Calcul des charpentes d'aluminium" textbook, and student programs including the Défi Structure-Al competition and the Mario-Fafard Scholarship for women in aluminium research.

Core operating headcount is small (9 staff per firmographics), with the 62 scientists and 150+ graduate students funded primarily through their host universities and individual grants. Leadership includes Director Houshang Alamdari (Université Laval), Deputy Director Daniel Marceau (also CURAL Director at UQAC), Coordinator of Activities Valérie Harvey, and institution coordinators and axis heads across all eight member establishments. The centre has received recent validation of its national importance through major capital grants (CURAL, CMQ) and sustained international partnerships, positioning it as a category-of-one aluminium research platform with stable but project-cycle-dependent funding.

Name

REGAL - Centre de recherche sur l'aluminium / Aluminium Research Centre

Legal name

Centre de recherche sur l'aluminium - REGAL

Website

https://regal-aluminium.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

REGAL is a Quebec-based non-profit research consortium and the world's only centre fully dedicated to aluminium, uniting 62 scientists and 150+ graduate students across eight universities to advance production, metallurgy, applications, AI integration, and circular-economy research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

International & Global Research Universities (Multi-Campus/International Footprint) (EDAHABAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research Collaboration & Joint Labs (International Partnerships) (EDAIABAC)

Keywords

• Aluminium research
• Primary aluminium production
• Metallurgy research
• Aluminium value chain
• Graduate training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Québec City

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Research Funding: REGAL is a strategic research grouping funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies (FRQ). Additional funding comes from NSERC Alliance grants, Mitacs Accelerate grants, and government support for specific projects and equipment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

REGAL is a strategic research grouping funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies that conducts collaborative research and graduate training across the entire aluminium value chain—primary production, metallurgy and transformation processes, aluminium applications, Aluminium 4.0 (AI integration), and responsible aluminium (circular economy and decarbonation). It brings together 62 scientists and over 150 graduate students across eight Quebec academic institutions, including Université Laval, UQAC, Université de Sherbrooke, Concordia, McGill, Polytechnique Montréal, ÉTS, and Cégep de Trois-Rivières.

Product overview

REGAL (Centre de recherche sur l'aluminium) is a strategic research grouping funded by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et Technologies. It is the only research center in the world 100% dedicated to aluminum research. The center operates through five research axes: (1) Primary Aluminum Production, (2) Metallurgy and Transformation Processes, (3) Aluminum and Its Applications, (4) Aluminium 4.0 (AI integration), and (5) Responsible Aluminum (circular economy and decarbonation). REGAL does not offer commercial products; instead, it provides a research and training environment that brings together 62 scientists and over 150 graduate students across eight academic institutions to address fundamental and applied aluminum-related problems. The center facilitates joint research projects, student training opportunities, scholarships, conferences, and publishes research tools including the 'Calcul des charpentes d'aluminium' (Aluminum Frame Calculation) book.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Aluminium Production Research (Axe 1 / Production de l'aluminium primaire) Research program on the Hall-Héroult process, carbon anodes, bubble dynamics, and electrolysis optimization, addressing Quebec's significant primary aluminium production sector.
• Metallurgy and Transformation Processes Research (Axe 2 / Métallurgie et procédés de transformation) Research on forming processes, die casting, and semisolid processing, aimed at improving the efficiency of metal forming and transformation processes.
• Aluminium and Its Applications Research (Axe 3 / L'aluminium et ses applications) Research program on the development of new high-value-added aluminium applications.
• Aluminium 4.0 Research (Axe 4 / Aluminium 4.0) Research on the integration of artificial intelligence in the aluminium sector, including smelter of the future technologies and machine learning applications for process optimization and predictive modeling.
• Responsible Aluminium Research (Axe 5 / Aluminium responsable) Research program on the circular economy, decarbonation, bauxite residue valorization, and aluminium recycling.
• Joint Research Projects (Projets de recherche conjoints) Collaborative research projects facilitated by REGAL bringing together researchers from its member institutions and industry partners.
• Calcul des charpentes d'aluminium (Aluminium Frame Calculation book) Published research tool for aluminium frame calculation, co-developed with AluQuébec.

Named customers8 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

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, strategic, core and internal.

• Alcoa CorporationmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2025Major aluminium producer with research collaboration through R&D projects. Dr. Mario Fafard held an industrial CRSNG research chair partnered with Alcoa. Active calls for R&D project applications with Alcoa.
• Norwegian-Canadian Partnership CaNalstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2023Norwegian-Canadian Partnership in Research and Education in Primary Production of Aluminium involving NTNU and SINTEF. Includes summer schools on primary aluminium production held at Université Laval.
• AluQuébeccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustrial aluminium cluster partnering with REGAL for conferences (INALCO), publications (Aluminium Frame Calculation book), and industry outreach. Co-organizer of INALCO 2023 conference.
• Rio TintomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal mining and metals company participating in REGAL activities including conferences, training events, and expert presentations on aluminium recycling and sustainable construction.
• Centre ExtrametALinternalStrategic or Co-development PartnerREGAL centre for metals and aluminium research at Université Laval, jointly present at events with Institut des matériaux durables.
• Centre de Métallurgie du Québec (CMQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocated at Cégep de Trois-Rivières, provides R&D equipment and expertise in casting, surface treatments, and additive manufacturing. Obtained PSO V4 grant for new equipment with UQAC, INRS, and Innofibre.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• CSIRO: Australia's national science agency with significant materials, manufacturing, and lightweight-metals programs. Comparable in its role as a publicly funded multi-disciplinary research entity serving strategic national industries.
• National Research Council Canada (NRC): Canada's federal research organization with materials and manufacturing programs. Comparable as a publicly funded applied research institution supporting Canadian industrial sectors, including adjacent work in metals and lightweight materials.
• SINTEF: Norwegian multidisciplinary research institute with strong materials and aluminium primary-production research. A formal REGAL partner through the Norwegian-Canadian CaNal initiative, making it the most directly comparable peer in scale, mandate, and research themes.
• Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU): Major Norwegian technical university with an established aluminium primary-production research tradition. Co-participant with REGAL in the CaNal partnership and summer schools at Université Laval, sharing a similar metals-focused research and training mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials (IFAM): Germany's largest applied research organization with broad materials and manufacturing coverage, including light metals and forming. Comparable as a publicly funded applied research consortium, though it serves multiple material families rather than focusing exclusively on aluminium.
• Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon: German research center for materials and coastal research with strong metallurgy and light-metals programs. Comparable in scale and public-funding model, though with a broader materials mandate than REGAL's aluminium-only focus.
• Oak Ridge National Laboratory: US Department of Energy national laboratory with advanced manufacturing and materials research. Comparable as a large, publicly funded research entity, though with a much broader mandate spanning energy, computing, and materials.

Others

• International Aluminium Institute (IAI): Global industry association representing primary aluminium producers. Comparable as an aluminium-sector convener and thought leader, though operating as a trade association rather than a research consortium.
• European Aluminium: European aluminium industry association coordinating R&D, sustainability, and policy positions. Comparable as a sector-level ecosystem player that REGAL engages with through conferences and policy work.

Emerging players

• Light Metals Research Centre (University of Auckland): Specialized light-metals research group focused on aluminium and magnesium alloy development. Comparable as a university-anchored aluminium research group, though smaller and more narrowly focused than REGAL.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/REGALaluminium
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/regalaluminium

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 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 REGAL - Centre de recherche sur l'aluminium / Aluminium Research Centre