Research and development capabilities

Defence Research and Development Canada has specialized research and development (R&D) capabilities, across its seven research centres, as well as the Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence and the Directorate of Research and Development Operational Capabilities. These capabilities include the people, expertise, equipment and facilities to carry out world-class R&D in support of Canada’s defence and security.

On this page

• Atlantic Research Centre
• Centre for Operational Research and Analysis
• Centre for Security Science
• Directorate of Research and Development Operational Capabilities
• Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence
• Ottawa Research Centre
• Suffield Research Centre
• Toronto Research Centre
• Valcartier Research Centre
• All research centres
• History of defence research

Atlantic Research Centre

Overview

The Atlantic Research Centre (ARC) is Canada's centre of excellence for maritime defence science. The centre conducts research and provides advice in the areas of underwater warfare and surveillance, integrated warship survivability and performance, maritime information warfare, materials science, power and energy, and signature management.

ARC has scientists, engineers, technologists and support staff at its main campus in Dartmouth, NS, and a materials science laboratory located in His Majesty's Canadian Dockyard in Halifax, NS. Working closely with the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN), ARC staff access unique facilities such as the “floating laboratory” on the acoustic calibration barge moored in the Bedford Basin. The centre also manages a field camp on Devon Island and has scientists co-located with power and energy facilities at the National Research Council in Ottawa, ON.

ARC collaborates with other government organizations, industry, universities and international partners to maintain expertise in:

• anti-submarine warfare
• mine and torpedo defence
• Arctic surveillance
• naval platform technology
• modelling and simulation of ship systems
• shipboard command and control
• maritime information and knowledge management
• emerging materials
• energy management
• signature management

This expertise is applied primarily to maritime defence and security, but also to the air and land environments.

ARC capabilities

• The underwater warfare and surveillance team offers leading scientific and engineering research that enhances the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces underwater situational awareness and enhances the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Air Force’s ability to detect and counter underwater threats.
• Researchers working in maritime systems experimentation and analytics contribute scientific and technical expertise to enhance command team effectiveness through improved practices in information use.
• Underwater signatures, survivability and materials researchers develop advice and solutions for material aspects of underwater signatures, platform survivability, through-life materiel management and emerging materials technologies.
• The integrated warship survivability and performance team enables the delivery of solutions to manage signatures and enhance the survivability, operational capability, maneuverability and sustainability of Royal Canadian Navy ships and submarines.
• Researchers working in the power and energy capability provide advice in the domain of supplying power and energy across a wide range of defence applications, including soldier systems, fixed and deployed infrastructure, Arctic and naval platforms, energy storage, modelling and simulation and renewable energy.
• The development, engineering and experimentation team coordinates the planning and execution of development, engineering and experimentation of defence capabilities on land, in the air, at sea and in the Arctic.

Mailing address:

Atlantic Research Centre
PO Box 99000 Stn Forces
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B3K 5X5

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Centre for Operational Research and Analysis

Overview

The Centre for Operational Research and Analysis (CORA) exists to improve Canada’s defence and security by providing operational research, strategic analysis and joint targeting expertise. CORA delivers evidence-based analysis and researched information to support planning and decision making, the identification of issues and risks with proposals for mitigation, and the effective use of resources such as personnel, equipment and budgets.

CORA is a distributed scientific centre with most of its teams integrated with the Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence partner organizations.

CORA capabilities

• The joint targeting team offers direct, timely research support in the use of targeting data. Targeting is the ability to identify, track and engage assets and make recommendations on appropriate action or engagement. Joint targeting is the ability to share targeting data across platforms and commands which includes army, navy, air force and allies, among others.
• Researchers working in operational research and analysis for navy and air force employment delivers operational research and strategic analysis to address complex issues within the Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Canadian Navy using a combination of mathematical methods, practical problem solving skills and historical and political analysis. This improves decision-making and contributes to a more productive use of Department of National Defence resources.
• Operational research and analysis for army and force employment researchers conduct operational research and data-science analysis using quantitative, social and strategic research and analysis in support of the Canadian Army and the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces.
• Joint and strategic analysis researchers provide advice to support major national decisions and planning by the Canadian Armed Forces. This includes considerations of timelines, resources, readiness, program investment and portfolios, and future joint capabilities.
• Researchers working in operational research and analysis for enterprise resource management conducts operational research and data-science to support evidence-based decision making across the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces.

Mailing address:

Centre for Operational Research and Analysis
National Defence Headquarters (Carling)
60 Moodie Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0K2

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Centre for Security Science

Overview

Established in 2006, the Centre for Security Science (CSS) develops and delivers innovative science and technology solutions to public safety and security partners.

CSS is responsible for managing the Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP) in partnership with Public Safety Canada. CSSP’s mission is to strengthen Canada's ability to anticipate, prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters, serious accidents, crime and terrorism through the convergence of science and technology with policy, operations, and intelligence. Through regular calls for proposals, the CSSP engages industry, academia and government representatives to advance science and technology which will ultimately improve the safety and security of all Canadians.

CSS works horizontally with experts in Canada and internationally to share knowledge and collaborate on science and technology. CSS is located at the Department of National Defence's Carling Campus in Ottawa, Ontario with a regional office in Regina, Saskatchewan.

CSS capabilities

• The preparedness and resilience team facilitates the development of knowledge and capabilities supporting emergency management preparedness; strengthen whole-of-society resilience and risk reduction against the most serious threats, hazards and crises; and, leverage opportunities for adaptation, growth and well-being.
• The team working in the first responders capability enables the development of knowledge, trusted advice and innovative technology solutions supporting paramedic, fire and law enforcement service delivery that is responsive to community expectations and operating environment challenges.
• The border security team develops science and technology solutions to enhance the efficiency and security of the flow of people and goods at Canada’s ports of entry and ensure the integrity of Canada’s borders and border regions, including the Arctic/North.
• The surveillance, intelligence and interdiction team supports innovative solutions to analytical and operational problems concerning national security threats (e.g. terrorism, espionage, foreign influence, extremism, disinformation, illicit financing).
• The critical infrastructure resilience team develops science and technology solutions to enhance risk management, preparedness, prevention, mitigation and response efforts against threats, hazards and emerging disruptive technologies to Canada`s physical and digital critical infrastructure (CI), including cyber systems.
• The chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) security team enable the development of CBRNE knowledge and capabilities supporting emergency management preparedness and strengthening whole-of-society resilience against threats and crises.

Mailing address:

Centre for Security Science
National Defence Headquarters (Carling)
60 Moodie Drive
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0K2

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Directorate of Research and Development Operational Capabilities

The Directorate of Research and Development Operational Capabilities provides planning and coordination across all research centres and capabilities, as well as cross-cutting capabilities.

• The science visual documentation (VisDoc) team supports the visual documentation of R&D trials in laboratories and in the field, including on land, in the air, at sea and in the Arctic. VisDoc specializes in videography, photography, 3D animation, graphic design and illustration.
• The modelling and simulation team supports the people, processes and technologies tasked with identifying the personnel needs of the Canadian Armed Forces. Using a virtual battle space, the modelling and simulation collaboration effort can test future and current force capabilities of the Canadian Armed Forces and offers advice on personnel development, generation and employment.

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Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence

The Directorate of Scientific and Technical Intelligence provides a wide range of threat assessments of weapons and other technologies.

• Intelligence researchers provide all-encompassing threat assessments of weapons and threat systems and their technologies.

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Ottawa Research Centre

Overview

Since its inception in 1941, the Ottawa Research Centre (ORC) has evolved from chemical-biological research to radiological defence, to the development of gas masks, flame thrower fuels, and batteries. Since the early 1970s, the ORC has grown into a world-class centre for electromagnetic sciences research.

ORC capabilities

• Researchers working in cyber operations work on developing techniques to sense, analyze, influence and exploit communications networks and strategies to secure and defend the wired and wireless networks used by the Canadian Armed Forces.
• Communications electronic warfare researchers focus on R&D in detection, geolocation and countermeasures against malicious communications signals and ensures the Canadian Armed Forces has unimpeded access to the electromagnetic spectrum.
• Radar electronic warfare researchers deliver expert advice and technology solutions to improve the protection of military personnel and platforms against radars and radar-guided threats.
• Space domain awareness and operations researchers enable the development of technology and techniques to characterize and understand an evolving and contested space domain to effectively conduct space operations, enforce responsible behaviour in space, and protect critical space and defence assets.
• Researchers working in radar systems for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and command and control (C2) modernize defence capabilities with advanced research in radar systems and provides the Canadian Armed Forces with defence ISR, and accelerates the command and control (C2) process.
• Space radio frequency intelligence researchers support the advancement of exploitation technology, techniques, collection planning and integrated data fusion for space-based radio frequency ISR sensors to provide a strategic advantage to senior decision-makers, and a capability advantage for tactical units.
• Continental defence modelling researchers enable the development of ISR system-of-systems concepts, modelling and analysis for all-domain situational awareness to defend North America.
• Researchers working in position, navigation and timing (PNT) advance techniques and technologies aimed at achieving and protecting highly accurate and precise timing synchronization for navigation and timing systems. This research ensures that the Canadian Armed Forces and its coalition partners have assured access to PNT information in a contested theatre of operations.
• Researchers working in defence communications undertake research to enhance and enable mission-critical communication systems for the Canadian Armed Forces.

Mailing address:

Ottawa Research Centre
3701 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0Z4

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Suffield Research Centre

Overview

The Suffield Research Centre (SRC) invests in unique and sensitive science and technology capabilities including chemical-biological-radiological (CBR) defence in the areas of personnel defence and medical countermeasures, blast protection and injury, advanced energetics and weapons effects, autonomous systems, and training in CBR defence.

The SRC features the unique experimental proving grounds, one of the world’s largest instrumented outdoor laboratories at approximately 500 square kilometres. The SRC is co-located with Canadian Forces Base Suffield offering a unique opportunity for scientists and researchers to work directly on the science and technology questions that are important to the Canadian Armed Forces, either in a laboratory or field setting.

SRC capabilities

• The explosive system performance and defeat research team conducts research in improvised, new and advanced explosive systems. This includes blast/fragment threat assessments as well as counter-improvised explosive devices (C-IED).
• Chemical hazard assessment and protection researchers support Canadian Armed Forces operations with solutions from capabilities in science, engineering and chemical defence research.
• Combat casualty care researchers provide technical advice to prevent, mitigate and treat combat-related injuries.
• Researchers working in radiological and nuclear threat defence contribute research and technical advice on hazard assessment, detection, identification and monitoring, as well as defence strategies against radiological and nuclear threats.
• Researchers in autonomous uncrewed ground and air systems for land operations provide research and technical advice on the emerging capabilities of autonomous systems.
• The biological hazard assessment and medical countermeasures team researches and provides technical advice on hazard assessment, detection, identification and monitoring, as well as advice on medical countermeasures against biological threats.
• Researchers working in chemical threat medical countermeasures conduct research and provide technical advice on medical countermeasures for defence against chemical threats.
• Advanced chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosives (CBRNE) and medical training researchers offer live agent, material and tissue training to enhance individual and collective operational readiness against CBRNE threats.
• Development, engineering and experimentation researchers coordinate the planning and execution of development, engineering and experimentation of defence capabilities on land, in the air, at sea and in the Arctic.

Mailing address:

Suffield Research Centre
PO Box 4000 Stn Main
Medicine Hat, Alberta
T1A 8K6

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Toronto Research Centre

Overview

The Toronto Research Centre (TRC) is DRDC’s centre of excellence for human-centric science and technology in the defence and security environment. Research and development is conducted to understand, sustain, and enhance the well-being and effectiveness of military personnel, and to address individual, social and technological aspects of human performance and effectiveness, in order to support the operational needs of the Canadian Armed Forces through research, advice, test and evaluation, and training.

The areas of expertise include, but are not limited to, warfighter effectiveness, training, human-technology teaming, operational performance and health, influence and information warfare, as well as social and psychological factors that affect military life and operations.

The TRC is co-located with the Canadian Forces Environmental Medicine Establishment (CFEME). Together they have unique experimentation facilities, such as environmental chambers, diving chambers, hypobaric (altitude) chamber, human bio-analysis lab, and the only human-rated centrifuge in Canada.

TRC capabilities

• The warfighter and system effectiveness research team develops human effectiveness R&D to support the development, evaluation, acquisition and employment of technical systems and operational training of the Canadian Armed Forces.
• Researchers working in warfighter performance and health research the psychological and physiological mechanisms that underpin the conditions of high cognitive load, or high emotional stress, and develop tools and techniques to improve resilience.
• The team of researchers working in operations in the information environment support the development of tools, technologies and frameworks to enhance Canadian Armed Forces effectiveness in complex information environments and to understand, assess and influence the intent and will of adversaries beyond Canada’s borders.

Mailing address:

Toronto Research Centre
1133 Sheppard Avenue West
Toronto, Ontario
M3K 2C9

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Valcartier Research Centre

Overview

The Valcartier Research Centre (VRC) generates and integrates the knowledge required to provide evidence-based advice to the Canadian Armed Forces on technological advances in the areas of information, optronics and combat systems science. VRC expertise in defence and security applies to the three environments of Navy, Army and Air Force, as well as Canadian Special Operations Forces. VRC conducts research, experiments, and technological demonstrations in conjunction with academia, industry, and other research organizations within the government of Canada and abroad.

The VRC infrastructure is composed of specialized facilities and laboratories in electro-optic sensing and exploitation, laser systems, command and control, intelligence, cyber, ballistic and protection, energetic materials, ammunition, and weapons, spread over 100 buildings, and a seven-square-kilometre proving ground located on Canadian Forces Base Valcartier. The VRC campus has several unique facilities, including a secured experimental complex for energetic material development, a trisonic wind tunnel, a 240-metre-long aeroballistics corridor and numerous mobile laboratories for field deployment and experimentation.

A major infrastructure renewal project is currently underway and will include the construction of a 30,859-square-metre main complex, the construction of a garage / shelter of 1,715 square metres, the upgrading of 47 buildings, the demolition of 45 buildings and the revitalization of the landscape. Once completed in 2024, this new research facility will consolidate nearly 500 employees including 225 defence scientists, engineers and technologists from different locations on-site into one centrally located building with 80 new multi-disciplinary laboratories.

VRC capabilities

• Weapon systems researchers provide advice and solutions on energetic materials, pyrotechnics, propulsion technologies and precision weapons systems.
• The weapons effects and protection team provides advice and solutions in the field of weapon science aiming at military personnel and asset survivability, lethality as well as injury prevention and platform resilience.
• Electro-optical spectrum exploitation researchers contribute advice and solutions for the study, characterization, and remote sensing of optical signatures by terrestrial and aerospace sensors.
• The electro-optical warfare research team provides advice and solutions in electro-optical warfare including threat detection, platform self-protection technologies, camouflage and directed energy.
• Electro-optical surveillance and reconnaissance researchers develop advanced technologies in night vision, virtual reality, electro-optical sensors, and machine learning at the edge to provide advice and solutions regarding electro-optical systems for surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence, and target acquisition.
• Command, control and intelligence researchers provide advice in the exploitation of unstructured, incomplete, and/or ambiguous data, passively or actively collected from a variety of sources, to support intelligence and command teams. Enable situation analysis and decision-making processes in and across all military operational domains and echelons through the investigation of advanced software-based automation and decision support concepts and solutions.
• The mission critical cyber security research team provides R&D advice and solutions to the military to favor cyber-resilience and mission assurance in the cyber-physical environment.
• The defence experimentation Valcartier team coordinates the planning and the execution of engineering solution and experimentation of defence capabilities on land, in the air and at sea.
• The prototyping team provides in-hand world-class mechanical prototyping service to quickly address S&T program priorities and urgent requests.

Mailing address:

Valcartier Research Centre
2459 de la Bravoure Road
Québec, Québec
G3J 1X5

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All research centres

Each of the seven research centres has resources to deliver project management in support of their respective capabilities.

• Project management staff oversee the scope, activities, deliverables, financial resources and operating plan for projects included in the Defence and Security Science and Technology program.

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History of defence research

For more than 75 years, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) has been on the frontlines of defence science and technology, conducting research in centres located across Canada. Learn about research centres through the decades and a selection of defence innovations from more than 75 years of research and development.

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