The SDG Innovation™ Network has been recognized as a key player in innovation in Quebec in the book Innovation Québec, published by the Quebec Innovation Council with the support of Global Village Publishing Inc. This recognition, announced on May 13, 2024, highlights the network’s strategic role in digital transformation and sustainable development. Through its academic leadership and industry collaborations, the SDG Innovation Network actively contributes to research, training, and the implementation of innovative solutions in key sectors such as Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), artificial intelligence, and Industry 4.0/5.0. Its commitment to a smart, digital, and sustainable society strengthens its impact at both the provincial and international levels.
Author: fatima
On February 27, 2025, under the leadership of Jean-Marc Frayeret, Research Director of the SDG Institute for Advanced Air Mobility (AAMI), we had the pleasure of welcoming the delegation from the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) at Polytechnique Montréal.
This meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the challenges and advancements in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), bringing together academic experts from Canada and South Korea.
📌 Key Topics and Speakers
- Presentation of KARI and the Grand Challenge Project – Korean delegation
- Virtual Integrated Operation Center – Korean delegation
- Technologies for Electric Air Mobility – Jean-Marc Frayret (Polytechnique Montréal)
- Montreal and the Aerospace Innovation Zone – Annie Ross (Polytechnique Montréal)
- Public Perception and Social Acceptance of AAM – Nick Tepylo (Clarkson University)
- Social Acceptance of Advanced Air Mobility – Andreas Reiner (Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt)
- Advanced Human-System Interfaces in Aerospace – Philippe Doyon-Poulin (Polytechnique Montréal)
- Flight Path Planning in Urbain environment – Luis Rodrigues (Concordia University)
- Challenges of Air Corridors implementation and Traffic Management in Urbain environnement – David Rancourt (Université de Sherbrooke)
- Digital Infrastructure and Digital Twins – Bentley Oakes (Polytechnique Montréal)
🔹 A Strategic Discussion on the Future of AAM
This event highlighted key issues in the development of Advanced Air Mobility, including:
✅ Technological and operational challenges
✅ Social acceptance and public perception
✅ Infrastructure and air traffic management
✅ Digital innovations and digital twins
We extend our thanks to all participants for their valuable contributions and dedication. This meeting represents an important milestone in strengthening synergies between Canada and South Korea in the field of AAM.
📢 Stay tuned for upcoming developments!
From January 27 to 31, Jean-Marc Frayret, professor at Polytechnique Montréal and Research Director of the SDG Institute for Advanced Air Mobility (AAMI), participated in the Canadian Advanced Air Mobility (CAAM) Delegation in California. This mission provided an opportunity to engage with industry leaders and explore the latest technological advancements shaping the future of AAM.
Visits to Joby Aviation, Archer, Wisk, and NASA Ames Research Center featured insightful discussions on the challenges and opportunities in the sector, as well as inspiring demonstrations of cutting-edge innovations. These exchanges highlighted the importance of international collaboration in accelerating the development and integration of advanced air mobility.
A huge thank you to CAAM for organizing such a valuable mission and to our hosts for their warm welcome.
The future of AAM looks promising, and we are excited to contribute to this transformation in air transportation! 🚀✨
January 28, 2025 – Joby Visit
January 29, 2025 – Archer Visit
January 30, 2025 – Wisk Visit
The Québec-Seoul 2024 aerospace scientific mission, in which Jean-Marc Frayret, professor at Polytechnique Montréal and research director of the SDG Institute for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), took place from October 28th to November 1st, 2024. Concordia University, École de Technologies Supérieures and CRIAQ were also represented on this mission, whose main objective was to explore the Korean innovation ecosystem of Urban Air Mobility (UAM). The mission enabled the Québec delegation to meet key institutions such as KAIST and KAU universities, the KARI and KITECH research centers, KIAST, an institute specializing in safety and certification in the aerospace sector, and local government bodies involved in UAM. The mission concluded with the Québec delegates taking part in K-UAM Confex, an international forum on UAM organized by UAM Team Korea.
South Korea’s progress in Urban Air Mobility
One of the main lessons learned from this mission is that South Korea is well ahead of Québec and Canada in the development and adoption of UAM. The establishment of the UAM Team Korea in 2020 has enabled the development of an ambitious roadmap for the adoption of UAM, the Grand Challenge project. This project involves numerous industrial, academic and government players, as well as research centers, specialized institutes and other players in the aerospace ecosystem. The project plans to test eVTOL urban flights by the end of 2025. The Korean UAM ecosystem is thus based on close collaboration between numerous public and private players, coordinated by the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, creating a model for effective UAM integration.
Opportunities for collaboration with South Korea
The mission identified several potential collaborations between Québec and South Korea. In particular, KAIST University (a member of UAM Team Korea) expressed interest in collaborating with Québec to develop an intelligent hangar for UAM, using smart sensors for automatic detection of vehicle structural problems. KARI (an executive member of UAM Team Korea) is currently building a highly advanced digital twin, with several digital simulation models of various complementary aspects of the UAM already integrated. KARI also offers very interesting avenues for technological partnerships, notably with the SDG-AAM Institute. KITECH is a research center dedicated to helping small and medium-sized businesses with their R&D needs. Although KITECH is not directly a member of UAM Team Korea, it is also positioning itself as a key partner for the application of artificial intelligence in the air mobility of the future, 3D printing, and the development of advanced materials for AAM.
