VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable

What VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable does

VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable is a public research center headquartered in Quebec City, Canada, operating as part of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) de la Capitale-Nationale and academically affiliated with Université Laval. It is recognized by the Fonds de recherche du Québec (FRQ-S) as the first research center in Quebec dedicated exclusively to sustainable health (santé durable). The center organizes its work around three thematic poles — prevention and health promotion; environments, living spaces, and workplaces; and organization of local services — and runs roughly 500 active research projects staffed by 131 researchers, 171 students, and 10 research chairs, with a total community of approximately 350 members.

VITAM's outputs include longitudinal research programs (COMPASS-Québec, Exprimer, CommunauDT1), community-based interventions (PC@clinique community paramedicine), and technology-enabled research artifacts such as the Amical AI-powered conversational companion for elderly residents with neurocognitive disorders. The center operates a participatory research model that formally integrates citizen partners into governance, including the first Quebec research chair co-directed by scientists and citizens. Its Technology stack is research-oriented — participatory, ethnographic, qualitative, and quantitative methods — and AI appears in a single deployed prototype rather than as a foundational platform.

The business model is government-funded: VITAM receives operational and research funding from FRQ-S, the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux (MSSS), and CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, supplemented by research-chair grants and in-house funding programs (a Strategic Research Development Fund offering up to CAD 20,000 per project, and student fellowships of CAD 7,500 for master's and CAD 15,000 for doctoral candidates). It does not sell commercial products; research participation is free for citizens. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable

Legal name

VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable

Website

https://vitam.ulaval.ca

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

VITAM is a Quebec City-based public research center dedicated to sustainable health, operating within CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale and affiliated with Université Laval. It conducts participatory research across three thematic poles, serving citizens, students, researchers, and healthcare professionals through funded research programs and community engagement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Québec

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Research Funding: As a public research institution affiliated with CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, Université Laval, and supported by Fonds de recherche du Québec, VITAM receives government funding for research activities, operational costs, and research chair positions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

VITAM is a public research center dedicated to sustainable health that develops and mobilizes knowledge through participatory, intersectoral, and socially responsible research approaches. It operates across three thematic research poles—Prevention and health promotion; Environments, living spaces, and workplaces; Organization of local services—conducting 500+ projects with 131 researchers, 171 students, and 10 research chairs. The center integrates citizen partners into its governance and research processes, offering research programs, student fellowships, community engagement initiatives, and technology-enabled studies such as the AI-powered Amical companion.

Product overview

VITAM - Centre de recherche en santé durable is a research center affiliated with Université Laval and part of CIUSSS de la Capitale-Nationale, comprising approximately 350 researchers, students, and staff. Rather than a unified commercial product, VITAM operates as a research ecosystem offering multiple interconnected programs and services: three research poles (Prevention and health promotion; Environments, living spaces, and workplaces; Organization of local services), technology-enabled research projects like the AI-powered Amical companion system and PC@clinique community paramedicine program, student support services including fellowships and career development, and citizen participation programs. The center's offerings span research projects, funding programs, training, and community engagement initiatives focused on sustainable health.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PC@clinique (Paramédecine communautaire) Community paramedicine initiative led by community paramedics focused on prevention and management of chronic diseases and health promotion, operating clinics in social housing buildings in the Capitale-Nationale region.
• Amical (AI-powered companion) AI-powered intelligent telephone device designed to combat isolation among elderly residents with Alzheimer's or other neurocognitive disorders in long-term care facilities, using conversational AI based on each resident's history and needs.
• CommunauDT1 Free peer support program for people living with Type 1 Diabetes, connecting individuals across Canada with peers for social and informational support, combined with a research project to improve the program.
• Exprimer (Nursing Staff Experience Study) Longitudinal research project tracking a cohort of nursing staff over 3 years to understand determinants of retention and resignations in Quebec's public health and social services network.
• COMPASS-Québec Longitudinal pan-Canadian study using annual surveys in secondary schools to track adolescent health perceptions and behaviors, with over 80,000 youth from 200+ schools in 13 Quebec regions participating annually.
• Student Fellowship Program Financial support program offering master's scholarships ($7,500) and doctoral scholarships ($15,000) for student members conducting thesis or dissertation research aligned with the center's scientific programming.
• Research Development Fund Strategic research development fund supporting regular researchers with up to $20,000 per project for pilot studies, literature reviews, protocol validation, or research tool development to secure external funding.
• Citizen Participation Programs Programs enabling citizen involvement in sustainable health research including research participation opportunities, community of practice, citizen partnership community, and the Citizen Commitment Charter.
• Student Committee Activities VITAM Dialogues (presentations by students, postdocs, researchers), career development midis, student scientific day, cohort writing support, social activities, and networking events organized by the student committee.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ research projects generating actionable knowledge for sustainable health
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• CIUSSS de la Capitale-NationalecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVITAM is a research center of the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux (CIUSSS) de la Capitale-Nationale, providing the primary institutional framework and healthcare system connection for conducting research.
• Université LavalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial academic affiliation with Université Laval enabling research collaboration, student supervision, and academic credentialing. Many researchers hold professor appointments at the university.
• Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQ-S)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec as part of the provincial research funding ecosystem, receiving recognition and funding through FRQ programs.
• Centre d'excellence sur le partenariat avec les patients et le public (CEPPP)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on sustainable health and citizen participation publications, working together on knowledge mobilization and partnership approaches in healthcare research.
• Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux (MSSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment ministry providing funding and policy direction for health research, with several VITAM researchers consulted for government health policies.
• Chaire de recherche en santé durablecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch chair affiliated with VITAM and the Centre intersectoriel en santé durable (CISD), created in 2023 by FRQ-S to coordinate, stimulate, and democratize intersectoral sustainable health research in Quebec. First research chair in Quebec co-directed by scientists and citizens.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRUTRXpe5DGWiHGGbgpRxYA/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vitam-sante-durable

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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