EP.5 - Canadian Defence Headlines - Oct 15

(upbeat music) Hello everyone, Kyle from VimyForge, back with this week's Canadian Defense Headlines and our perspective on why they matter. We're coming off a busy week at Deaf Second Atlantic in Halifax and there's plenty happening across Canada's defense innovation ecosystem. This week, we're looking at new drone procurement opportunities, a challenge focused on detecting chemical threats, developments in maritime autonomy, some upcoming opportunities for Canadian innovators. We'll also share some exciting news from VimyForge where we've secured new support for the second cohort of our National Defense Accelerator. Let's get into it. (upbeat music) We'll start with drones because we're seeing another step forward in Canada's effort to move Canadian uncrewed technology into the hands of military operators. The Defense Drone Initiative has several new procurement opportunities underway including one for general purpose uncrewed aircraft systems intended for domestic Canadian Army operations. The requirement calls for a minimum of 80 systems along with the equipment, training, software support and sustainment needed to operate them. There's also a separate opportunity for medium uncrewed aircraft systems with both procurements currently scheduled to close on October 27th. These aren't simply research challenges or calls for companies to demonstrate interesting technology. They are solicitations for actual equipment and supporting capabilities. One important detail though is that these procurements are restricted to suppliers who are already qualified through the Defense Drone Initiative Supply Arrangements that did open and close a little earlier this year. So there is a distinction between a company having a capable drone and being eligible to bid on these particular contracts. So what? We've spent quite a bit of time on this podcast following Canada's emerging drone ecosystem from operator demonstrations and innovation challenges through to procurement initiatives. The encouraging part is that we're continuing to see actual purchasing requirements emerge but we'll be interested to see how accessible these pathways become for Canadian SMEs particularly those developing promising technologies that haven't yet qualified for the initial procurement arrangements. For companies working in this space, understanding the procurement process is becoming every bit as important as understanding the technology itself. That brings us to another opportunity where government is putting a fairly specific technical problem into the market. For our second story, the National Research Council has launched a new Innovative Solutions Canada Challenge focused on detecting hazardous chemicals from a distance. The requirement is for a field deployable chemical imaging system using quantum cascade laser technology. Essentially, NRC is looking for a system capable of identifying chemical threats remotely without requiring personnel to approach potentially contaminated areas. The technology could support military operations, emergency response, and other security applications where rapidly identifying a hazardous substance is critical. The challenge is aimed at relatively mature technologies between TRL 5 and 9 and applications are open until November 19th. So what? This is another good example of the type of opportunity Canadian innovators should be watching to define technical problem with a government organization prepared to support prototype development and evaluation. And it isn't necessarily limited to companies that already identify themselves as defense innovators. A company developing optical sensors, imaging technology, chemical detection systems for industrial applications might all have expertise that's highly relevant here. That's one of the reasons we're seeing so much attention paid to dual use innovation. Capabilities developed for one market can sometimes address requirements in another. Nothing new there. Provided though, the technology can meet the operational need, which we are starting to see a lot more conversation around specifically from our end user, like what we're seeing with these challenges or these open opportunities. And that connection between commercial innovation and defense requirements leads us into our next story. Story number three, maritime autonomy, connecting existing Canadian capability. D&D recently sought a Canadian designed, ungrewed surface vessel capable of surveying the seabed, helping detect and identify underwater mines. The submission window has now closed, but it's another example of government putting a relatively clear operational requirement into the market similar to the last two stories that we've covered. There's an interesting connection here though to the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between D&D and Canada's Ocean Supercluster, which happened last week. The Ocean Supercluster represents more than 1,000 member organizations across Canada, including companies developing autonomous vessels, marine sensors, underwater technologies, and advanced data systems. The new agreement is intended to help connect those innovators with defense requirements through industry engagement, testing, and technology demonstrations. It'll be interesting to see whether that partnership helps surface companies that may already have some of the technology needed four missions like mine countermeasures, but haven't yet explored defense applications or haven't found the right entry point for defense applications. It's another example of the opportunity to connect existing Canadian innovation with clearly defined military needs. For our fourth story and one that's very close to home for us here at Vimy Forge, we've got a little news from our own corner of the defense innovation ecosystem. Last week at DevSec Atlantic and Helifax, we announced new funding support for Vimy Forge from the Business Development Bank of Canada, Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency, and New Brunswick Innovation Foundation. This funding will support the launch of our second cohort of Canadian defense and dual-use companies in 2027. For anyone unfamiliar with Vimy Forge, we are a national defense accelerator, supporting companies across Canada and headquartered here in Fredrton, New Brunswick. We bring companies from across Canada into the program designed to connect them with the people, expertise, and opportunities they need to succeed in defense. That includes military operators, industry partners, investors, research facilities, and people who understand the realities of selling into defense and security markets. Our first cohort, Black Flight, which contains nine companies launched earlier this year and has already completed three of the four residency weeks, most recently, last week in Helifax alongside DevSec. We've spent those residencies getting companies closer to operational requirements, introducing them to potential partners and customers, and helping them navigate a market that can be difficult to enter. This new support from BDC, Akoa, and MBIF gives us the opportunity to build on that work with another group of Canadian innovators in a slightly more expanded capacity. And while we're headquartered in New Brunswick, our focus as always remains national. We're expecting to open applications for cohort two at the end of October. If you're building technology with potential defense and security applications, we'd encourage you to connect with us through the Vimy Forge Expression of Interest and Canadian Defense Innovation Map, which you can find on our website. Companies already participating in that mapping exercise will receive early access to the application process. We're not just looking for companies that already have defense contracts, of course. Some of the most interesting capabilities are being developed in other industries. Part of our job is helping those innovators understand where their technology might fit within the defense ecosystem, especially if it's aligned to the 10 key sovereign capabilities outlined earlier this year in Canada's Defense Industrial Strategy. We'll share more details about cohort number two in the coming weeks. View from the Forge. There's an encouraging pattern in this week's stories we're seeing government articulate more specific requirements, something that industry has been asking for for a long, long time. They are creating opportunities to test technology and in some cases move towards purchasing actual equipment. But there are still several steps between a promising innovation and capability that military personnel can rely on. Companies need to understand the requirements, qualify for the right opportunities, prove their technology and build the capacity to deliver. One of the interesting pieces about all of these opportunities that are opening from our perspective is whether they will go to small and medium enterprises in Canada or whether they will remain opportunities for the larger players in our space or elsewhere in the world. And that's really where our own work if in the Forge fits into the picture. We want to help Canadian innovators navigate those steps, connect with the right people, build businesses that can succeed in defense over the long term. With applications for our second cohort opening later this month, we are looking forward to meeting the next group of companies ready to take on that challenge. That's it for this week's Canadian Defense. Headlines, I'm Kyle from Vimy Forge. Thanks for listening to News from the Forge. Be back. (upbeat music)