Sustainable Northern operations: water and waste
Competitive Projects
Up to $6.75M in phased development funding to propel technology forward
The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are seeking novel, integrated technologies that enable the CAF to operate Relocatable Transportable Camps (RTCs) independently and sustainably in Arctic and sub-Arctic environments while meeting all applicable Canadian environmental and health regulations.
What IDEaS provides
Funding awarded for this challenge will depend on your solution’s Technology Readiness Level (TRL). Lower TRL solutions (TRL 1-3) will be eligible for up to $250,000 for a period of up to six months for solution development. In the design phase (TRL 4-5), up to $1.5 million in funding is available for a period of up to 12 months. Finally, during the build phase (TRL 6-9), up to $5 million is available to build and validate your prototype in various environments. Provided solutions advance to the appropriate TRL, they may move to the next funding stage. Visit How it works in Competitive Projects for additional information on available funding.
What innovators bring
Innovators can propose solutions at all stages of development. Early-stage technologies that would benefit from development funding are encouraged to participate. Solutions that have reached a mature level of technical readiness and are moving toward future testing or demonstration may apply for funding through this Call.
The challenge
Background and context
The CAF’s strategic update Our North, Strong and Free (2024) directs an expansion of military operations in the Canadian North. RTCs deployed in remote Arctic regions must sustain personnel with safe water, sanitation, and waste-handling capabilities while minimizing logistics and environmental risk.
In 2023, the IDEaS Pop-Up City contest demonstrated advanced, containerized power-water-waste systems. These prototypes significantly reduced solid-waste mass and potable-water demand but were not tested under arctic winter conditions. Material brittleness, freezing of fluids, and power-efficiency issues remain key obstacles.
This challenge will bridge this gap by developing and then testing integrated cold-weather water and waste technologies under Arctic winter conditions (e.g., Op NANOOK).
The objective of the challenge is to support the development of a proven, deployable, Canadian-made, Arctic-ready water-and-waste system enabling CAF RTCs to operate independently, safely, and sustainably in the North with drastically reduced logistics burden and environmental impact.
Essential outcomes
Proposed solutions must meet the following requirements:
- Integrated capability combining water purification, wastewater treatment and solid-waste reduction suitable for camps of up to 50 personnel.
- Use a modular design that allows transport by air or ship – ensuring that individual components fit within a standard 20‑ft sea container with maximum dimensions of 108 in. (2.74 m) wide × 268 in. (6.81 m) long × 96 in. (2.44 m) high and a maximum weight of 24,000 lb (10,886 kg; 10.9 tonnes). The modular design must also enable on‑site assembly without the need for heavy‑lift equipment
- Treated outputs must meet or exceed Wastewater Systems Effluent Regulations and Health Canada Drinking-Water Guidelines
- Function continuously in remote northern locations and operate and withstand northern environmental conditions, including extreme cold down to -40°C
- Resource efficiency must be demonstrated through a reduction in resupply volume and frequency (fuel, water, consumables) by at least 75% from baseline (see Table 1 below)
- Support maintainability and repairability in northern environments by ensuring that the solution can be serviced using common trades and tools available to CAF in deployed operations in remote areas
Desired outcomes
Proposed solutions should include capabilities and considerations such as, but not limited to, the following:
- integrated power
- operable in extreme heat conditions (up to +40°C)
- no manual pre-processing of solid waste
- recovery and reuse of waste-heat or by-products
- can be scaled to suit camps of over 50 personnel, up to 1500 personnel
|
Resource |
Volume and frequency |
|---|---|
|
Potable water‡ |
150 L / person / day |
|
Non-potable water |
50 L / person / day |
|
Sewage – Black water |
89.5 L / person / day |
|
Sewage – Grey water |
48.5 L / person / day |
|
Solid waste – Dry* |
1.1 kg / person / day |
|
Solid waste – Wet† |
1.1 kg / person / day |
‡ Water supplied to RTC at ≥4°C. 20% of potable water requirement (i.e. 30 L/person/day), is used as hot water at 60°C.
* Total energy content can be assumed to be 15 MJ/kg.
† Water content can be assumed to be 70%.
Eligibility
This Call for Proposals (CFP) is open to individuals, academia, not-for-profit organizations, municipal governments, provincial and territorial organizations, and private-sector organizations . Federal and provincial Crown corporations are not eligible for funding.
How to apply
IDEaS is transitioning to a new portal to receive submissions from the innovator community for this challenge.
To apply, consult the Solicitation Guide available on CanadaBuys.
Deadline
The CFP opens September 10, 2026, and the deadline to submit proposals is October 20, 2026, at 2 p.m. EDT.