Originally announced in June 2017 with the release of Canada’s defence policy Strong, Secure, Engaged, the new Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) Program was launched on April 9, 2018 to provide a total of $1.6 billion for Canada’s defence and security innovation community over a 20 year period, including funding of $313 million over the first five years.

The IDEaS program aims to bring together networks of experts, provide support and opportunities to innovators, and  facilitate the integration and adoption of new capabilities for the Canadian Armed Forces and public safety and security communities.

IDEaS launched its inaugural public Call for Proposals (CFP) and the Competitive Projects (CFP) are now open with 16 various defence and security challenges. Additional opportunities will be announced regularly.

All innovators will have equal opportunity to present their solutions for solving defence and security challenges through the following:

  1. Ideation: brings together multi-disciplinary teams of innovators and operators to help refine various aspects of the defence and security challenges.
  2. Competitive Projects: innovators present their solutions toward defence and security challenges. IDEaS helps mature their solutions into prototypes and potential capabilities.
  3. Innovation Networks: connects innovators with better opportunities to support new and existing networks.
  4. Contests: provides grant prizes for the successful demonstration of promising solutions.
  5. Sandboxes: innovators demonstrate and test their prototypes with an opportunity to receive feedback on their applicability in a defence and security setting.
  6. Innovation Assessment and Implementation: procures limited numbers of prototypes for evaluation in a realistic operational environment with direct feedback provided to innovators.
  7. Mobility: allows for active exchange of personnel to share expertise build capability.
  8. Integrator: allows for DND experts to follow projects and seek where the innovations might best be directed towards solving defence and security challenges.

Are you an innovator looking to showcase your ideas? Contact us today to help you find the financing options to take your ideas to the next level!