About Us

Research-First Design

Built by researchers, for researchers—every feature addresses the real challenges of managing academic-industry partnerships.

Proven at Scale

Trusted by Fortune 100 companies and leading research institutions, with 30,000+ users across four continents.

Continuous Partnership

We work alongside our clients to continuously improve the platform based on their evolving needs.

Our Story

Pillar Science was founded in 2017 by Dr. Karim Bouayad-Gervais and Mathieu Tanguay in Montréal, Canada. Having experienced firsthand the challenges of managing university-industry partnerships, they set out to build modern software that would make these collaborations more efficient and more impactful. At Pillar Science, we understand the vital role research partnerships play in advancing science, developing talent, and driving innovation. We also know that managing these partnerships can be difficult—particularly when resources are limited and stakeholders are spread across institutions and companies. Our Partnership Engagement Platform is the only software designed specifically to help universities, research consortia, and their industry partners collaborate directly. We streamline project management, automate impact reporting, and make it easy to showcase research expertise and talent. Today, Pillar Science supports more than 30,000 users managing over $2 billion in sponsored research projects. We help Fortune 100 companies work with researchers at over 100 institutions worldwide—and we're just getting started.

Karim Bouayad-Gervais, PhD

Chief Executive Officer

Karim holds a PhD in psychology from McGill University. He is passionate about technology. When he’s not in front of his computer, Karim is most likely playing ice hockey or soccer.

Mathieu Tanguay

Chief Technology Officier

Mathieu worked in cybersecurity for the military and banking industry. He is passionate about discovering innovative ways to create the best user experience. In his free time, Mathieu always enjoys a good bike ride.

Deep Expertise in Research Partnerships

Our team combines academic research experience with enterprise software development. Dr. Karim Bouayad-Gervais holds a PhD from McGill University, while Mathieu Tanguay brings cybersecurity expertise from the military and banking sectors. This unique combination means we understand both the research workflow and the security requirements of large organizations.

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Built for the Way You Work

We designed Pillar Science to fit naturally into existing research workflows—not to replace them. The platform integrates with CRM systems, BI tools, and ORCID, centralizing data without requiring you to change how you work. Single sign-on support makes access simple for all stakeholders.