SNCF JOINS IVADO AS A FOUNDING MEMBER

Montreal, April 24, 2017 – SNCF, one of the world’s leading passenger mobility and freight logistics groups, becomes a founding member of the Institute for Data Valorization (IVADO). The aim of IVADO is to bring together industry professionals and academic researchers to develop cutting-edge expertise in data science.

Data valorization serving rail transport

For Carole Desnost, Innovation & Research Director at SNCF: “Bringing SNCF into the IVADO ecosystem seemed an obvious choice to combine our efforts and expertise. By strengthening our cooperation, we will be able to improve data valorisation and conduct mobility scenarios. Concrete applications will emerge from these collaborative projects and will energize the SNCF offer to meet the expectations of our customers in terms of efficiency, security and service flexibility.

SNCF’s willingness to join IVADO stems from its strong interest in the development and application of new expertise in the following areas:

• Knowledge and forecasts concerning customer’s mobility and classification of urban travellers.
• Real-time decision making capabilities so that operations (railway and multi-modal) can be efficiently adjusted in the event of disruptions.
• Artificial intelligence for detecting and anticipating abnormal working conditions before disturbances occur in operations.

Behind: Guillaume Chicoisne, Scientific Programs Director, IVADO ; Gilles Savard, General-Director, IVADO.
Front: David de Almeida, Head of the Modeling and Travel Experience, Innovation & Research Department, SNCF ; Corinne Talotte, Director of the Tech4Rail, Innovation & Research SNCF Technology Renewal Program.
Photo credit: Caroline Pernelle

“IVADO aims to foster the transfer of knowledge, tools and processes related to the exploitation of big data-driven decision-making for businesses. We are very pleased to establish this privileged partnership with a company as important as SNCF. Our collaboration on transportation projects, one of our flagship application areas, will contribute to the advancement of knowledge and the training of new generations of data scientists,” said Valérie Bécaert, Director, Partnerships and Knowledge Mobilization at IVADO.

SNCF joins twelve other IVADO founding members active in several key sectors of the industry, including marketing, aviation and aerospace, telecommunications, energy, insurance, information technology and services, machine learning and financial services. They are: Aimia, CAE, Cogeco, Gaz Métro, l’Institut de recherche d’Hydro-Québec (IREQ), Intact, Metix, nGUVU, Squarepoint Capital, Pratt & Whitney and Thales Group.

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About IVADO

The IVADO, founded by Université de Montréal, HEC Montréal and Polytechnique Montréal aims to bring together industry professionals and academic researchers to develop cutting-edge expertise in data science, operational research and artificial intelligence. In essence, the IVADO creates opportunities for knowledge exchange and collaborations between the specialists, partners, researchers and students in its network.

The objective of the IVADO is to be the link between academic expertise and the business needs of organizations, from international corporations to start-ups. With over 900 affiliated scientists (researchers, post-docs, PhD candidates and research associates), the IVADO is an advanced multidisciplinary centre for knowledge in sectors including statistics, business intelligence, deep learning, applied mathematics, data-mining and cybersecurity.

About SNCF

SNCF is a global leader in passenger and freight transport services with revenue of €32.3 billion in 2016, of which one-third on international markets. With 260,000 employees in 120 countries, SNCF draws on its foundations in French rail and on its extensive experience as an architect of transport services. It aims to become the benchmark for mobility and logistics solutions, both in France and worldwide. SNCF has six core businesses: SNCF Réseau (management and operation of the French rail network); SNCF Voyageurs (commuter transport in the Paris region, regional and inter-city public transport, high-speed rail in France and Europe); SNCF Gares & Connexions (management and development of stations); SNCF Logistics (freight transport and logistics worldwide); Keolis (mass transit and public transport in Europe and around the globe); and SNCF Immobilier (management and optimization of SNCF property and land assets) www.sncf.com

Information :

Sandra Estrela
Member Services Coordinator, IVADO
Cell : 438-824-7244
sandra.estrela@ivado.ca