Message from the Minister of National Defence

I am pleased to present the first annual report for the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program. IDEaS helps support the needs of the women and men of the Canadian Armed Forces so that they can be prepared, trained, and equipped to defend our country. This report showcases the considerable accomplishments of the program in bringing Canadian innovators on board and details the investments made to date.

The IDEaS program was announced in 2017, with an investment of $1.6 billion over 20 years, in Strong, Secure, Engaged, Canada’s Defence Policy. With this new program, the Government of Canada is reaching beyond traditional defence and security providers to encourage all Canadians to provide the solutions we need for our service members. By casting this broader net, we are aiming to attract novel, impressive solutions that had not previously targeted the realms of defence and security. In addition to expanding the base of Canadian innovators, IDEaS creates economic opportunities for new technology and invests in defence and security capabilities for the long term.

IDEaS helps ensure the Canadian Armed Forces maintains its operational effectiveness and ability to work with key partners and allies. It also enhances Canada’s ability to mitigate or eliminate emerging threats, and stay ahead of our adversaries. IDEaS provides transparent and equal funding opportunities to help innovators mature and share their defence and security solutions.

The pages that follow detail how IDEaS works, its support of Canada’s innovation community, accomplishments during the past year, and next steps. In future versions of this report, we will keep you up to date on results achieved and bring you stories of the great things Canadian innovators are accomplishing for the women and men of our Canadian Armed Forces. I trust you will find this report helpful and informative.

Yours sincerely,

The Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, PC, OMM, MSM, CD, MP