Open Science is science for all Montréal is leading the way in research, ideas and innovation through a bold commitment to Open Science—the practice of sharing data, research, tools and discoveries to accelerate solutions for some of medicine’s greatest challenges. As one of North America’s top hubs for life sciences and health technology, the city fosters collaboration where researchers, clinicians and industry leaders can innovate together. Institutions like the Montréal Neurological Institute-Hospital (The Neuro) operate fully on Open Science principles, proving that accessibility and shared knowledge not only advance medicine but make Montréal a premier destination for conferences and meetings in the life sciences. For the 9th year running, Montréal ranks #1 in North America on the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) list for international association meetings. For the 8th year in a row, Montréal is ranked the top city in the Americas by the Union of International Associations (UIA) for hosting international association meetings. Montréal’s Human-centric approach to AI In June 2025, AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio launched LawZero, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing research and developing safe-by-design AI systems. Assembling a world-class team of AI researchers, LawZero prioritizes safety and human-centric AI over commercial imperatives to address the risks posed by today’s frontier AI—deceptive behaviour, goal misalignment and loss of human control. LawZero is pioneering Scientist AI, a non-agentic approach where AI learns to understand the world and provide transparent, truthful answers, rather than act autonomously. These systems could oversee agentic AI, accelerate scientific discovery and improve understanding of AI risks. Incubated at Mila - Quebec AI Institute, LawZero has already raised over US $35 million to support its research, with backing from the Gates Foundation, Schmidt Sciences, the Future of Life Institute and other leading institutions. PIONEERING SAFE AI: The Government of Canada is partnering with Cohere Inc. to strengthen Canada’s AI ecosystem and internal AI services. Through an AI Strategy Task Force, the collaboration explores AI deployment across federal operations while building commercial capabilities for global markets. Joëlle Pineau, former VP of AI Research at META, joined Cohere as chief AI officer and sits on the Task Force. In 2025, Cohere, a Canadian tech company focused on developing secure AI solutions, opened its Montréal office, drawn by the city’s vibrant tech scene, deep AI talent pool, thriving startups and strong research culture. In partnership with Mila, the company is advancing secure, useful AI built on Canadian values. FAST FACTS 30% of meetings held at the Montréal convention centre focus on life sciences and health, including landmark events like the World Congress of Neurology. The Tanenbaum Open Science Institute (TOSI) at McGill University serves as a living lab, developing tools, best practices and infrastructure to support Open Science at The Neuro and across Canadian neuroscience institutions. AI Conference PHOTO: EVA BLUE
