Polytechnique Montréal
IN-25: Innovation B

The PolyFAB (Polytechnique Montréal's fab lab) concept was first developed in 2014. It now provides an accessible and open laboratory with substantial space to help share material resources, tools, ideas and experience s among innovative engineers and entrepreneurs who need tools, facilities and partners to develop their ideas. PolyFab is now open every day and offers leadership and support to the entire Polytechnique community. Its list of equipment, tools and machinery is expanding constantly. These tools and machinery empower students and employees to repair a great variety of goods, giving them a new lease of life. It thus brings direct environmental and economic benefits to the community. Furthermore, it helps increase awareness about the importance of reusing and remanufacturing as tools of a circular economy. PolyFAB also has positive social impacts. It helps co-working experience, co-creation and promotes innovative ideas and projects. As it brings together students, professors, researchers, technicians, graduates and entrepreneurs from different engineering disciplines, it is currently creating a new community of innovators. Moreover, it has a high educational value for future engineers who want to transform their ideas into real prototypes and products during their training. Currently, more than 100 students, employees, graduates are benefitting from PolyFab. Polytechnique plans to expand the current 1,000 square feet facility to a more substantial and accessible space within the next 18 to 24 months. This year Polytechnique will be investing more than $ 250,000 in this initiative.