MEDTEQ+ and AGE-WELL announce a new pan-Canadian cohort of innovative collaborative projects through the envisAGE initiative

20 new technological solutions to support the quality of life of older adults and caregivers

MONTREAL, July 10, 2025 /CNW/ – MEDTEQ+ and AGE-WELL, two leaders in the AgeTech sector, are pleased to announce the second cohort of 20 collaborative projects selected as part of envisAGE, an initiative that enables mature AgeTech innovations to be tested and evaluated in real-world settings across Canada with the aim of accelerating their commercialization.

The innovations selected address priority needs relevant to supporting quality aging for Canadians, including autonomy and independence, cognitive health and dementia, healthy lifestyles and wellness, maintaining social connections, supportive homes and communities, health care and health service delivery, mobility and transportation, financial wellness and employment. 

This second cohort of collaborative projects adds to the 15 other projects announced last year and consists of 20 SMEs, 19 Community Labs (real-world implementation settings), 7 Beachheads (expert evaluation centres), and three Innovation Hubs (centres of excellence), all mobilized to improve the quality of life of older adults through technological innovations from across Canada. 

” Older adults are critical to building our country and deserve the best possible health and wellness outcomes. Through the envisAGE initiative, we are supporting the development of cutting-edge technological innovations that are having a tremendous positive impact on the lives of Canadian seniors from coast-to-coast-to-coast,” said The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.

“In Québec, we’re joining forces to harness technological innovation for the well-being of the population. The envisAGE initiative is a great example, as it accelerates the implementation of innovative technologies developed by local SMEs to help older adults stay safe, maintain their autonomy and improve their quality of life,” said Christopher Skeete, Minister for the Economy, Minister Responsible for the Fight Against Racism and Minister Responsible for the Laval Region.

“We are inspired by the impressive response from Canada’s AgeTech ecosystem and its mobilization through envisAGE. These collaborative projects bring together stakeholders from six different provinces with a common goal of improving the quality of life of older adults and helping professionals and caregivers. By mobilizing industry, academia, clinical and community sectors, and older adults and caregivers, envisAGE is propelling innovative solutions to market to support quality,” said Sabrina Boutin, Executive Director of envisAGE, Vice President of Strategy and Global Partnerships at MEDTEQ+.

The funding for the second cohort of projects totals more than $23 million including up to $6 million in funding from the envisAGE initiative which is supported by the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund, and approximately $1.6 million from the Quebec government’s Ministère de l’Économie, de l’Innovation et de l’Énergie.

 The projects selected for the second cohort include: 

• Connected clock and Idem pillbox: implementation and evaluation of benefits in the context of home support for older adults
  Eugeria, the Centre intégré de santé et de services sociaux du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and le Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM) are collaborating to implement a technology combining a smart clock and a connected pillbox. The evaluation will assess the innovation’s impact on the autonomy of seniors receiving home care.
• AI as a conversational companion for older adults living in an institutional setting
  An AI-powered companion created by Amical, an SME specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), will be assessed in collaboration with the Centre intégré universitaire de santé et de services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale and Groupe Santé Arbec.
• Replacement nurse call system for management of fall prevention, unwanted exits, and infection control in a long-term care setting
  St. Michael’s Long-Term Care Centre (LTC) and Acute Care Alberta will evaluate longer-term impacts of Tenera Care management platform as a replacement nurse call system.
• Wearable device in continuing care homes for resident monitoring, response time, fall prevention, and reduction of harm  
  AgeCare, and Acute Care Alberta will assess the impact to resident safety through the Fallyx wearable sensor with advanced fall detection and location monitoring technology.
• TAKECARE: optimizing care and well-being in older adults’ residences 
  To demonstrate the adaptability and applicability of a cutting-edge monitoring tool for a wide range of needs, Solutions Greybox is partnering with the Appartements du Square Angus and the NIM Intelliance/CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal Innovation Centre.
• Air-Sequr inflatable hip protector for older residents at risk of falling in long-term care
  A partnership between Azimut Médical, CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal (Montreal Chinese Hospital) and Centre de recherche de l’Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal – CIUSSS Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal will recruit residents at the Montreal Chinese Hospital Long-Term Care residence to assess inflatable hip devices.
• AMBA smart room: enhancing resident safety and predictive care in long-term care through passive monitoring and AI-driven insights   
  Led by Amba Health and Care Canada Ltd., in collaboration with Donald Berman Jewish Eldercare Centre, and OROT / CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, this initiative will deploy smart room technology to automate resident monitoring, detect early health risks and optimize nighttime care.
• Soins de Vie Plus: the care security program that promotes the autonomy of seniors at home through AI 
  The Soins de Vie Plus project, led by Equinoxe in collaboration with OROT- CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, will assess a smart remote monitoring solution allowing seniors to live safely at home.
• Ambulation and retraining mobility mechanism, to improve resident mobility and independence, and staff efficiencies
  BISEP Innovations Inc., The Brenda Strafford Foundation, CLIQ and Acute Care Alberta partner to evaluate the implementation, feasibility and impact of a device to attach to wheelchairs to support patient transfers and ambulation in a continuing care setting.
• Dementia home operations monitoring assessment project (DHOMA) 
  Josephine Care, NIM Intelliance Innovation Centre – CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and MedicAlert Foundation Canada will assess the use of passive in-home monitoring to support older adults living with dementia and their care partners to reduce the stress related to managing evolving and changing behaviours associated with the progression of dementia and dementia-related wandering.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of intelligent companion dolls in reducing social isolation and loneliness in long-term care residents, improving resident quality of life, and reducing care provider burnout
  VanTech Med, in collaboration with Broadmead Care and the McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA), are conducting a project to evaluate the impact of Sundae Doll, an AI-powered companion doll on older adults’ well-being and social engagement.
• Integrating AI into pharmacy workflows to enhance efficiency, reduce medication errors, and improve patient safety
  Asepha, in collaboration with MediSystem and Bruyère Health, is implementing an AI-powered medication reconciliation tool to automate this process.
• SAGE powered by iMatr: empowering older adults using democratic technology (DemTech) – Your Voice Matters 
  IMtar Canada Inc. partners with Sunrise Senior Living (Burlington) and McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) to assess the impact of SAGE (Seniors’ Awareness and Global Events) to enable older adults to stay informed, discuss current events, and engage directly with their communities and elected representatives.
• Taebo Reboot CogniFlow: an immersive approach combining physical exercise and cognitive stimulation for active aging
  Taebo Reboot CogniFlow is an initiative led by XPR Labs that aims to integrate cognitive stimulation into a proven immersive physical exercise platform in partnership with OROT – CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal and the Douglas Mental Health University Institute – Centre intégré universitaire de santé
  et de services sociaux de l’Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal).
• Community screening app for atrial fibrillation in older adults
  Braver, Université Laval and Fondation AGES collaborate to increase early detection of atrial fibrillation and improve treatment adherence to prevent stroke.
• AI-powered monitoring and real-time alerts for responsive behaviours and wandering prevention in long-term care
  NeuraVue, in collaboration with Langley Lodge, Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North (CTAAN), and Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory (SAM³), is implementing an AI-powered real time monitoring systems to enhance resident safety and caregiver support in long-term care environments. This innovative solution detects and alerts caregivers about responsive behaviours, such as aggression, verbal escalations, and wandering/elopement risks.
• Mance-AI: intelligent detection and alert solution to enhance older adults’ safety at 
  Sentiom, Habitations Bordeleau and IVADO are teaming up to improve the safety and quality of services in older adults’ residences through a real-time analysis and alert platform linked to sensors to monitor older adults.
• Integrated pharmacy-based tiered primary care model
  A collaboration between Cridge Pharmacy, Care2Talk, and Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North (CTAAN), introduces an innovative pharmacy-based virtual care model that integrates in-person pharmacist consultations, virtual healthcare visits, and on-site nurse practitioner (NP) care.
• NurseGPT: Improving resident care in long-term care through AI-enhanced nursing documentation 
  Centre for Technology Adoption for Aging in the North (CTAAN), Broadmead Care and Carecorp Seniors Services are collaborating to evaluate NurseGPT, an innovative AI-powered documentation solution designed specifically to increase direct care hours provided to residents in long-term care (LTC).
• Integrating sensor technology and multidisciplinary care to ensure safe, secure and healthy independent aging
  The collaboration between Sensors and Analytics for Monitoring Mobility and Memory (SAM³), Thriving.ai, and Generations aims to redefine independent aging through innovative technology which monitors, detects risks, and facilitates communication. 

The entire list of 35 collaborative projects is available here.

“MEDTEQ+ is proud to co-lead this initiative which, in just two years, already supports 35 collaborative projects aimed at improving the quality of life of older adults and their caregivers through technological innovation. I would like to congratulate the funded teams for their commitment and creativity. We deeply value the contributions of all our partners in the Canadian AgeTech ecosystem, including AGE-WELL and the various levels of government for their vital support. As the needs associated with aging grow rapidly, we are putting our expertise to work for businesses and research to build a strong sector and deliver concrete solutions that allow older adults to remain autonomous, connected, and free to choose where and how they live.”
Annie-Kim Gilbert, President and CEO, MEDTEQ+

“AGE-WELL congratulates the teams behind today’s project announcement. AGE-WELL is committed to advancing AgeTech solutions to enhance the well-being and independence of older adults while supporting caregivers and healthcare professionals.  Through envisAGE, we’re bringing AgeTech to communities across Canada, driving commercialization and empowering Canadian innovators to lead in the AgeTech market. We extend our sincere appreciation to all our partners, including our co-lead MEDTEQ+, as well as the various levels of government, for their invaluable collaboration in shaping a vibrant and responsive AgeTech ecosystem.”
Bridgette Murphy, Acting CEO, AGE-WELL 

About envisAGE
MEDTEQ+, a leader in accelerating innovation and supporting entrepreneurs in the Canadian MedTech industry, and AGE-WELL, Canada’s leading research and innovation network in AgeTech, have joined forces as co-leads in envisAGE. This large-scale pan-Canadian five-year initiative brings stakeholders together to provide resources and support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to integrate technologies that address the challenges of aging and build Canadian leadership in the AgeTech market. The envisAGE initiative is funded through the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund, with additional contributions of 4.5 million from the Government of Quebec, industry, non-profits, and other partners. To learn more about envisAGE, visit: www.envis-age.ca  

About MEDTEQ+  
MEDTEQ+, a pan-Canadian industrial research and innovation consortium, is dedicated to helping healthcare technology companies bring their innovations to market, accelerate economic growth and contribute to improving the health of the population. Through its unique expertise and collaborative approach, MEDTEQ+ offers support services across the innovation continuum, validation and integration of technological solutions in real-life environments, financing and networking with key ecosystem partners to accelerate the commercialization of innovative healthcare technologies. MEDTEQ+ also supports the envisAGE initiative, which aims to catalyze the AgeTech ecosystem and stimulate technological development in supporting aging. MEDTEQ+ relies, among others, on financial support from the Government of Quebec, the Government of Canada, the private sector and complementary partners to foster research and industry relations.
www.medteq.ca

About AGE-WELL
AGE-WELL is Canada’s Technology and Aging Network. As a dynamic pan-Canadian network with global reach, AGE-WELL has mobilized a vast community of researchers, older adults, caregivers, partner organizations, and future leaders to accelerate the delivery of technology-based solutions that make a meaningful difference in the lives of older Canadians and their caregivers. AGE-WELL serves as a catalyst for technological innovation that supports healthy aging while driving Canada’s growing AgeTech sector. www.agewell-nce.ca

SOURCE AGE-WELL