Counter-drone technology was put through its paces during the IDEaS Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems (CUAS) Sandbox (Urban) this past November in Ottawa.

The Hon. David McGuinty: I'm very pleased to hear this morning that you won first prize. Congratulations!

Learn how the IDEaS program helps innovators turn their ideas into tangible solutions for Canada’s defence. Through five funding elements, IDEaS supports projects at every stage—from research to advanced prototypes. Watch the video to find out more!

The IDEaS Marketplace 2025 brought together Canadian innovators and defence stakeholders to showcase technology, foster collaboration, and advance solutions in support of Canada’s defence and security needs.

IDEaS Marketplace is the IDEaS program’s flagship event, connecting innovation with defence needs. The 2024 event brought together more than 475 stakeholders and 600 attendees, showcasing 48 innovative solutions with potential defence and security applications.

The IDEaS program was launched five years ago to build an innovation community, find innovative solutions and push technology forward to advance defence capabilities.

The Pop up city contest challenged innovators to build more efficient, integrated and green energy, water and waste management solutions for camps used by the Canadian Armed Forces.

IDEaS Marketplace is the IDEaS program's premier off-ramping event.

A glance at how Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program (IDEaS) funding accelerates research and the development of minefield breaching technologies.

A look at how IDEaS funding is accelerating the development of robotics technologies, specifically with two innovators that were successful in obtaining additional funds under the Robot round up challenge.

The IDEaS program has funded the development of a military application intended to generate electromagnetic surfacing for camouflaging assisting in the safety of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The IDEaS program has funded the next generation of Canadian-made advanced robotic platforms providing situational awareness for military and assisting in security and defence.

Fifteen companies from five countries demonstrated and tested their leading-edge counter drone systems at the IDEaS Sandbox in May and June 2024 at DRDC Suffield in Alberta.

During the 2024 IDEaS Counter Uncrewed Aerial Systems Sandbox at DRDC Suffield in Alberta, innovators demonstrated and tested their leading-edge counter drone systems to an audience of defence and security experts and end users.

As part of an IDEaS Test Drive, Black & McDonald is installing and operating a large-scale, low carbon energy generation and storage system, as a proof of concept to help reduce carbon emissions throughout the DND/CAF real property portfolio.

IDEaS has completed a Test Drive with Sapper Labs to develop an advanced cyber attribution technology that could help the Canadian Armed Forces identify malicious cyber actors online.