Corporate gifts
Major gifts to the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen Now. Learn more about our culture of philanthropy.
Supporting the next generation
Behaviour Interactive spurs innovation for Quebec’s video game industry
A $2-million gift from Behaviour Interactive — Canada’s largest video game developer and publisher — to the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen Now will enhance the university’s ability to develop new talent and innovation for a critical economic sector.
Behaviour Interactive is known the world over for its bestselling multiplayer game, Dead by Daylight, and its work with the likes of Microsoft, Sony, EA, Warner, Netflix and Take-Two, among others. The studio and its co-founder and CEO, Rémi Racine, are pioneers in the Canadian video game industry and play a leadership role in its promotion to future generations of talent.
From left to right: Annie Gérin, dean of the faculty of Fine Arts, and donor Rémi Racine.
The major support will fund a new research chair at the Department of Design and Computation Arts and provide financial assistance to undergraduate and graduate students.
“This is a significant investment in leading-edge research and student training for our top-ranked Faculty of Fine Arts,” says Concordia President Graham Carr. “We thank Behaviour Interactive for such a generous gift. It will help prepare our students for careers in the fast-paced world of game development and enable our researchers to deliver new design ideas to an industry that annually contributes more than $5 billion to Canada’s economy.”
Racine says that more targeted investment is needed to help ensure the future growth of Montreal’s vibrant community of developers and creators.
“We have a healthy video game development ecosystem here in Montreal and Quebec, and across the country,” observes Racine, whose company has been named one of the best managed in Canada.
“Whether the pipeline that nourishes that ecosystem can thrive and compete globally in the decades to come depends largely on the steps we take today to foster new talent and keep pace with new technology.
“This is what this gift to Concordia is all about. As a post-secondary research institution with strengths in concept art, design and experiential education, the university plays an important role in a sector with tremendous socio-economic benefits and promise. We take pride in our ability to help nurture more of this success.”
Highlights
Power Corporation of Canada donated $4 million to Volt-Age, a Canada First Research Excellence Fund (CFREF) program jointly led by Concordia. Designed to develop novel energy sources, secure new infrastructure and deliver affordable, green energy under diverse conditions across Canada, the program was created in April 2023 when the Government of Canada awarded Concordia a grant of more than $123 million, the largest in the university’s history.
From left to right: Concordia President Graham Carr; Karim Zaghib, CEO, Volt-age; Olivier Desmarais, senior vice-president, Power Corporation; Paul Genest, senior vice-president, Power Corporation; Ursula Eicker, director, Next-Generation Cities Institute; Dominique Bérubé, vice-president, research and graduate studies; Paul Chesser, BA 94, GrDip 97, vice-president, Advancement.
Hydro-Québec donated $500,000 toward the NSERC/Hydro-Québec Industrial Research Chair in Optimized Operation and Energy Efficiency: Towards High Performance Buildings — a position held by Andreas Athienitis at the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science.
A number of donors encouraged student-led innovation at the Gina Cody School with major gifts. These included $300,000 from the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and $120,000 from Bombardier Inc.
Support of $135,000 from Addenda Capital Inc., a privately owned investment management firm headquartered in Montreal, will help fund a micro-certification in sustainability at the John Molson School of Business.
Velan Inc., a Montreal-based world leader in the design and production of industrial steel valves, donated $36,000 to support scholarships for women in engineering at the Gina Cody School.
RBC Dominion Securities supported the 2023 Concordia Golf Classic with a gift of $25,000.
