Cancellation of Audacious 2020
Out of respect for the policies implemented by our governments related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in order to help eradicate the crisis, IRIC made the difficult decision to cancel the event.
We thank the members of the Financing Cabinet, made up of people from all walks of life and from all sectors of activity, the honorary members, as well as the IRIC Young Philanthropists, for their devotion to the cause. Thank you to Sébastien Lemieux, Principal Investigator at IRIC and special guest, as well as to Yoshua Bengio, Scientific Director of the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute (Mila) and Special Advisor, for their invaluable expertise. Thank you as well to all of our suppliers, our loyal service partners, our sponsors, our donors and everyone who agreed to turn their participation in Audacious 2020 into a generous donation for research at IRIC.
Artificial Intelligence at the heart of cancer innovation
Since 2014, IRIC has been hosting Audacious, its annual flagship event to raise funds to support promising discoveries. Led by devoted Co-chairs and a Financing Committee, Audacious brings together close to 500 guests every year from the business sector, as well as partners and Investigators.
So far, Audacious has raised more than $6M to support cancer research efforts. These sums have notably enabled the Institute to recruit Matthew Smith, Principal Investigator of the Cancer Signalling and Structural Biology Research Unit, to award approximately 50 scholarships to the next generation of Investigators, to fund the innovative chemolibrary project and to acquire a great deal of equipment, including a plate reader and a mass spectrometer.
For its 7th edition, the theme of AI at the heart of cancer innovation will be featured.
Join us on June, 18 at 6:00 pm at Marché Bonsecours
350 Saint Paul Street East, Montreal
A cocktail reception and stations format will be offered. Please note that there are no places assigned outside sponsorships.
Please note that young people 35 and under enjoy a preferential rate.
If you do not wish to buy your ticket or make a donation online, download the registration form.
To confirm your sponsorship, download the confirmation form.
Please note that a company can commit to a major three-year sponsorship or obtain a personalized sponsorship. Please contact Anne Lebel: audace@iric.ca, 514 343-6141
Every member of IRIC works together tirelessly toward a common goal: to gain a better understanding of cancer and find a cure. To achieve different and concrete results, IRIC ventures on unknown terrains and carves its own road. Audaciously.
IRIC is made up of women and men who dare to dream big and get off the beaten path to accelerate the discovery of new therapies for cancer patients. Since its inception, IRIC has endeavoured to transform the landscape of cancer research: its investigators created new molecules, searched junk DNA, are designing therapeutic cancer vaccines, are working on electronic nanocircuits through which cells can travel to detect leukemia, are studying cancer genetics through fruit flies, etc.
For the past few years, IRIC has been faced with the massive amount of data generated by new technologies. To harness this new potential, the Institute decided to acquire an outstanding expertise in bioinformatics and biomedical data, in partnership with Montreal’s artificial intelligence ecosystem. Today, with your support, IRIC is betting that the development of new analytical methods will revolutionize traditional research and lead to a better understanding of cancer and, most importantly, to ways to vanquish it.
Thanks to its unique model, combining leading-edge basic research and the discovery and development of innovative therapies, the Institute is right at the centre of a vibrant and promising community and ecosystem. Audacious is an opportunity for all stakeholders from the life science fields to gather, network, and unite. It is thanks to a community that has always supported its efforts that IRIC can find the courage to move in unchartered waters. It is by being audacious together that we can make a difference.
“Artificial intelligence provides an opportunity to increase our capacity to take advantage of large quantities of digital data generated in cancer research. Algorithms and concepts put forward by AI are already transforming how we acquire and analyze data. It’s the beginning of a new era for cancer research.
I’m honoured to take part in this new edition of Audacious and to present IRIC’s remarkable expertise in bioinformatics and biomedical data.”
– Sébastien Lemieux, Principal Investigator at IRIC and special guest of Audacious 2020 edition –
Special Advisor
Yoshua Bengio, Scientific Director, Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute, Mila, Full Professor, Department of Computer Science and Operations Research (DIRO), Université de Montréal
Cabinet members
Frédéric Alberro, Director, Quebec, Innovative Medicines Canada
Luc Bachand, Corporate Director
Jacques Bernier, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Teralys Capital
Therence Bois, Director of Operations and Co-founder, InVivo AI
Catherine Bouchard, Senior Director, Healthcare Sector, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec
Michel Bouvier, Chief Executive Officer, Principal Investigator, Molecular Pharmacology Research Unit, IRIC
Clarissa Desjardins, Ex-CEO, Clementia
Sylvain Fortier, Chief Investment and Innovation Officer, Ivanhoé Cambridge
Annie Gauthier, Partner, Lawyer, BCF
Sébastien Giguère, Co-founder, InVivo IA
Paul Hamelin, Chairman of the Board of Directors, GIRO, Co-Founder, Fonds Hamelys
Lea Harrington, Principal Investigator, Telomere Length Homeostasis and Genomic Instability Research Unit, IRIC
Steven J.Klein, Vice-President, Business Development, IRICoR
Anne Lebel, Principal Development Officer, IRIC
Alexandre Le Bouthillier, Co-Founder and Chief Corporate Officer, Imagia
Sébastien Lemieux, Principal Investigator, IRIC, Professor, IVADO
Danielle Lysaught, Co-Founder and Director, Fonds Hamelys
Catryn Pinard, President and CEO, Nationex
Robert Paré, Strategic Advisor, Fasken
J.P. Towner, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Pomerleau Inc.
IRIC Young Philanthropists
Dr. Katrina Kontaxis, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, MaxilloVendôme
Doriane Labrosse, Director, Corporate Development, Couvre-Planchers Labrosse inc.
Philippe Letendre-Joachim, Strategy and Management Consultant, SPB
Benjamin Raynault, Senior Director, Investments, Kevric Real Estate Corporation
Honorary members
Robert Tessier, Chairman of the Board, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Chairman of the Board, IRIC
Valérie Ménard, Senior Partner and Financial Security Advisor, Ménard et Associés
Acknowledgements
An event as important as Audacious and a fundraising campaign that produced such remarkable results would not be possible without the contribution of our many partners and sponsors. The IRIC community would like to thank them for their support, as well as the support of the cabinet and all of our many volunteers.
Program of the event
6:00 pm Guests are welcomed and networking cocktail
6:45 pm Presentations and activities related to the event’s theme
7:15 pm Dinner cocktail launched and opening of stations
9:00 pm Announcement of the amount raised for Audacious 2020
9:15 pm Opening of dessert stations
9:30 pm Transition to a festive evening hosted by the Young Philanthropists
Midnight End of the evening