Montreal, Longueuil and Mirabel

Three Complementary Hubs Driving Innovation

Espace Aéro is built around three strategic hubs: Montréal, Longueuil, and Mirabel.

Each plays a distinct and complementary role in accelerating innovation, structuring the ecosystem, and supporting the development of Québec’s aerospace industry. Together, they cover the full value chain, from research to industrialization and experimentation.

Each hub has its own area of expertise, where strategic and structuring projects related to autonomy and decarbonization will be developed, positioning these territories as aerospace innovation hubs of international caliber. Each hub brings together industry, institutional, and academic stakeholders.

Projects and initiatives are deployed in collaboration with the local ecosystem, which is organized into an advisory committee.

Each of the three hubs is represented by an advisory committee led by the Espace Aéro team.

Montreal

The Montréal hub is the heart of research and collaborative innovation, where talent, expertise, and structuring projects converge. The projects developed there address both decarbonization and autonomy.

Core pillars of the Montréal hub include:

Co-location of researchers, laboratories, students from three universities and the NRC, as well as the hosting of aerospace-related seminars and events

State-of-the-art indoor and outdoor drone aviary, development of de-icing technologies

Development of new aircraft configurations and advanced manufacturing hub

Montréal Advisory Committee

Structuring project of the Montréal hub: Aerospace and Mobility Collaboration and Innovation Centre (CCIAM)

The CCIAM is a world-class research and innovation infrastructure project, a next-generation collaboration centre designed with sustainability in mind.

Scheduled to open in 2028, the centre will foster collaboration on large-scale aeronautical projects, particularly in the areas of sustainable fuels, decarbonization, and advanced materials.

The CCIAM will consist of complementary university laboratories focused on synergy, bringing together the largest number of master’s and doctoral students in aerospace in Canada.

A true experimentation centre for advanced manufacturing and robotics, the CCIAM will also feature a state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor drone flight testing centre to advance research and development of autonomous aerial vehicles.

To learn more about the CCIAM, contact France Beaulieu.

Longueuil

The Longueuil hub is dedicated to the practical implementation of innovation, with a focus on industrialization, training, and certification. The projects developed there primarily address decarbonization.

Here are the main components of the Longueuil hub:

Core pillars of the Longueuil hub include:

National training centre and support for testing and certification of technologies related to decarbonization

R&D support in manufacturing capacity, fabrication, and assisted inspection

Composite laboratory, metal fabrication, and robotics

Longueuil Advisory Committee

Structuring project of the Longueuil hub: AéroCampus

The objective of AéroCampus, whose construction will be completed in 2029, is to create a structuring and stimulating ecosystem where training, research, and innovation come together to accelerate advancements in the aerospace sector in Québec, Canada, and beyond.

AéroCampus features three complementary components

High-level training aligned with industry needs, led by the École nationale d’aérotechnique (ÉNA)

Applied research connected to real-world challenges, supported by the Aerospace Technology Centre (CTA)

An environment conducive to technology transfer and innovative entrepreneurship, supported by the École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS)

Mirabel

The Mirabel hub’s activities focus on experimentation and new mobility, enabling the testing and validation of future technologies. The projects developed there address both decarbonization and autonomy.

Core pillars of the Mirabel hub include:

Testing of drones and advanced air mobility technologies

Advanced simulation environments

Research on hydrogen and sustainable materials, recyclable composites

Real-world experimentation

Mirabel Advisory Committee

Structuring project of the Mirabel hub: YMX Innovation Centre – Aéro-Cité

Owned and overseen by Aéroports de Montréal (ADM), the YMX Innovation Centre is located at the heart of the YMX International Aerocity. It is a key component of the Mirabel hub and will serve as a major laboratory for the future of air transport.

The YMX Innovation Centre provides a collaborative space where manufacturers, institutional and government partners, universities and training institutions, researchers, and students can work together.

The YMX Innovation Centre is active in four civil and defense sectors, with the ambition of creating a comprehensive innovation hub and community that will shape the future of the Espace Aéro innovation zone:

Advanced air mobility
Decarbonization
Industry 4.0 – advanced manufacturing
Academic and professional training

Strategic Objective

Foster collaboration among industry players, research and training institutions, government entities, and academic organizations. The facility will offer collaborative environments as well as ITAR-compliant / controlled goods conditions, depending on project needs.

Functional Objective

Provide partners with flexible conditions enabling the deployment of modular R&D projects, short- or long-term, in an environment that includes shared equipment and access to expertise in industrial innovation