From innovation to operational advantage: Defence Innovation Secure Hubs
The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are seeking to establish Defence Innovation Secure Hubs (DISHs) focused on quantum and uncrewed systems (UxS). DISHs are intended to provide secure, mission-oriented environments where government, industry, and academia can collaborate over time to advance technologies beyond early development and toward defence and security application.
This Call for Proposals (CFP) is led by the Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Innovation and Science (BOREALIS) and is delivered through the Innovation in Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program.
What BOREALIS provides
Approximately $50 million, across two streams (UxS and quantum), provided through the IDEaS program as non-repayable contributions, to support the establishment and secure enablement of existing facilities as DISHs in the UxS or quantum domains, and to advance innovation and stimulate collaboration.
What innovators bring
A consortium comprising at least two eligible partners, bringing existing facilities, strong connections to local innovation ecosystems, and the capability to deliver a coherent program of research and development in the UxS or quantum domains, co-developed with consortia partners and their ecosystem.
Results
|
DISH |
Consortium lead |
Amount |
|---|---|---|
|
Uncrewed systems (UxS) |
Espace Aéro |
$29,600,000 |
|
Quantum technologies |
University of Calgary |
$20,300,000 |
The challenge
Canada’s defence and national security organizations are operating in an environment characterized by rapid technological change, increasing system complexity, and heightened security requirements. Frontier technologies such as uncrewed systems (UxS) and quantum technologies are expected to have a significant impact on future defence and security operations.
While testing and experimentation environments exist, few are suitable for work involving sensitive military applications. Despite rapid innovation in the commercial and research sectors, the absence of trusted conditions for development, integration, and demonstration limits the translation of promising UxS and quantum technologies into operationally relevant capabilities.
Without mechanisms that enable controlled experimentation and trusted collaboration at the required classification level, Canada risks delayed adoption and reduced operational advantage as these technologies mature globally.
This Call for Proposals seeks to address this gap by enabling the conditions required to support the development, integration, and demonstration of UxS and quantum technologies for defence and national security purposes through the establishment of Defence Innovation Secure Hubs (DISHs).
DISHs are intended to provide secure, mission-oriented environments that support sustained collaboration across government, industry, academia, and the not-for-profit sector, and enable research, development, and experimentation activities aligned with defence and security needs.
The detailed challenge statement, including stream-specific objectives, background and context, and expected outcomes for both the UxS and Quantum streams, are provided in Annex A of the BOREALIS Defence Innovation Secure Hubs (DISH) Applicant Guide.