Scale AI funds 8 projects for $3.4M amid COVID-19 crisis

MONTREAL — Scale AI, one of Canada’s five innovation superclusters which focuses on artificial intelligence and supply chain technology, launched a call for projects to find solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 120 projects were submitted in just three weeks.

Eight projects have already passed all the stages of analysis and approval, and were announced on May 3, representing a total investment of over $3.4 million.

Julien Billot, general manager of Scale AI, added, “To face the crisis, we have implemented an exceptional program aimed at developing and financing relevant and effective projects very quickly. With projects that include analysis tools for research and clinical trials, coordination of patient services, supply management for drugs, medical equipment and food and essentials, AI has once again demonstrated its ability to support all sectors in improving their efficiency.”

The eight businesses approved include:

• Roche Diagnostics. This AI solution will be powered by a robust forecasting model and an allocation optimization engine that takes into account constraints in global supply, as well as national testing capacity and evolving circumstances.
• Careteam Technologies & FleetOps. This project aims to equip community organizations and volunteers to document needs and manage interventions in a coordinated manner, on a digital platform that brings together local stakeholders.
• The Montreal Port Authority and CargoM. This AI-based solution enables the optimization of identification and prioritization of critical cargo arriving by container at the Port of Montreal to ensure the rapid distribution of essential goods, such as medical equipment and food products, in the current COVID-19 context.
• AlayaCare. While home care is turned upside down by the COVID-19 crisis, this solution aims to create a new tool for monitoring the health of both patients and workers. This helps protect their health, limit the risk of spreading the virus and ensure continuity of care and services, whether in person or through a new offer of virtual consultations.
• Dialogue Technologies. This project aims to improve the service of the Chloé automated public chatbot for COVID-19. by facilitating quick access to relevant information for citizens and allow healthcare professionals to focus on tasks that require their expertise, while protecting the public and avoiding misinformation.
• Mila. This project takes advantage of a new deep learning algorithm to exploit the capabilities of artificial intelligence in fundamental research and to transfer this knowledge into applied research.
• Montreal Heart Institute. This project will develop an intelligent infrastructure to oversee clinical trials by optimizing the management of informed patient consent, as well as the capture, filtering and analysis of data from a treatment evaluation study based on colchicine to reduce mortality from COVID-19.
• Creative Destruction Lab. It’s  adapting objectives-based mentorship program to enable start-ups to face the challenges posed by COVID-19 in terms of public health and economic recovery. The selected projects will benefit from the support and expertise of leading entrepreneurs, economists, scientists, inventors, business leaders and investors.