The MUHC and The Institute launch the IMPACT Centre to accelerate healthcare innovation and generate economic benefits for Quebec

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (The Institute) are proud to announce the launch of the IMPACT Centre, a bold initiative designed to accelerate healthcare innovation and help bring promising technologies, therapies and research discoveries into real-world patient care faster.

Too often, innovative healthcare solutions face barriers that delay their integration into clinical care. The IMPACT Centre was created to help close the gap between scientific discovery and patient impact by providing a clear and coordinated pathway for the development, evaluation, validation and implementation of new technologies and approaches to care.

“Innovation in healthcare has traditionally been driven through research and academia, but the path to bringing these innovations into clinical care is often complex and requires testing in “real world” environments,” says Dr. Alan Forster, Director of Innovation, Performance and Quality at the MUHC and The Institute. “With the IMPACT Centre, we are creating a direct avenue for partners to engage with clinicians, researchers and hospital staff to safely evaluate and optimize solutions that improve care and reduce costs.”

The Centre will support a broad range of initiatives, including artificial intelligence (AI) applications, digital health technologies, advanced therapies, quality improvement projects and innovations designed to improve operational efficiency, patient outcomes and staff wellness. Doing so will help stimulate economic growth and investment in Quebec's industry and facilitate Quebec companies' access to the global market.

A unique innovation ecosystem

The IMPACT Centre builds on the complementary strengths of the MUHC, one of Canada’s most complex and advanced academic health centres and The Institute, internationally recognized for its scientific excellence. Together, they offer exceptional translational research expertise and a dynamic environment where promising innovations can flourish—from discovery and validation to meaningful impact on patient care—within one integrated ecosystem.

Specifically, the IMPACT Centre will provide streamlined access to:

• Clinical environments and world-class research infrastructure;
• Synthetic data (artificially generated data that mimics real-world data without containing information from real individuals) and analytics capabilities;
• Evaluation and implementation expertise;
• Investment and commercialization support;
• Training and guidance in innovation methodologies.

Patients at the heart of the IMPACT Centre’s mission

By accelerating the adoption of rigorously evaluated innovations, the Centre aims to ensure patients gain faster access to safe, effective and validated technologies that improve care.

“Healthcare is entering a new era, where AI, data and emerging technologies have the potential to fundamentally transform how care is delivered,” says Dr. Lucie Opatrny, President and Executive Director of the MUHC. “With the IMPACT Centre, the MUHC and The Institute are creating a more coordinated approach to evaluating, implementing and scaling innovation responsibly—helping ensure patients benefit more quickly from advances that can improve care, strengthen our health system and support our clinical teams.”

“The strength of the MUHC and The Institute lies in our ability to connect discovery with real-world care,” says Dr. Rhian Touyz, Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of The Institute. “From precision diagnostics and next-generation surgery to AI, digital health and advanced therapies, our researchers are driving advances across the full continuum of care. Through the IMPACT Centre, we are helping translate this research excellence into concrete solutions that can improve the lives of patients here in Quebec and around the world.”

With the invaluable support from generous donors and the MUHC affiliated foundations, the IMPACT Centre will also help strengthen Quebec and Canada’s innovation ecosystem by supporting entrepreneurship, facilitating responsible partnerships with industry and contributing to economic growth and job creation.

To learn more about the IMPACT Centre, visit: much.ca/impact

Media contact

Fabienne Landry
Communications coordinator, Research, MUHC
[email protected]
514 812-7722