\u201cIf you want to go into the defence market, you\u2019re going to have to be patient, and you\u2019re going to have to think through what it\u2019s going to mean for your organization.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nadia Shaikh-Naeem,
DIGITAL<\/p>\n
\u201cIt isn\u2019t easy to manage two markets, and the defence market is a demanding one,\u201d said Nadia Shaikh-Naeem, Chief Programs Officer\u00a0at DIGITAL. \u201cIt requires a significant amount of security. It requires a significant amount of capacity within the organization [and] strategic focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
The series arrives as Canada directs new attention and investment toward its defence industrial base. The federal government\u2019s renewed focus on defence\u2014chiefly through its $6.6-billion<\/a> Defence Industrial Strategy\u2014has created an opening for companies working in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity, healthtech, and more. It has also exposed how unfamiliar many commercial tech founders are with this market.<\/p>\n \u201cThe webinar series is a culmination of us going out and listening to all of our members, listening to all the questions that they had, and really realizing that there\u2019s a [knowledge] gap,\u201d Shaikh-Naeem added.<\/p>\n Companies enter the sector by selling directly to the government, partnering with a major contractor, or joining a partnership. Each route has its own procurement process, security requirements, integration demands, and timelines. Just obtaining the appropriate security clearance can take 18 months or more, Shaikh-Naeem said, which creates a practical challenge for smaller companies with limited runway.\u00a0<\/p>\n The sessions covered in DIGITAL\u2019s Defence Market Access Series span procurement, funding, intellectual property, partnerships, working with prime contractors, and learning the culture of the defence industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to DIGITAL Chief Operating Officer Elysa Darling, more than 550 people from across Canada have tuned in so far. She said the goal of the series was to convene a diverse group of domain experts to ensure that builders and buyers are speaking the same language.<\/p>\n \u201cAnytime you\u2019re trying to do something brand new, the path is genuinely confusing,\u201d Darling added. While the webinars go deep on a wide range of topics, she wants founders to walk away with one message: \u201cPersevere.\u201d<\/p>\n Defence is a market with its own culture and expectations. Founders need to understand the role of prime contractors, how procurement programs work, and how policies like the Industrial and Technological Benefits<\/a> can create openings for suppliers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to go into the defence market, you\u2019re going to have to be patient, and you\u2019re going to have to think through what it\u2019s going to mean for your organization,\u201d added Shaikh-Naeem.<\/p>\n When evaluating a potential dual-use project, DIGITAL first considers whether the technology addresses a clearly defined need in a commercial, defence, security, or resilience context. It then looks at technical maturity, commercial validation, scalability, domestic talent, and whether credible partners can help move the technology toward adoption.<\/p>\n \u201cThe technology may have an obvious defence relevance, but companies still need to understand procurement requirements,\u201d Darling said.\u00a0 \u201cThey need to understand integration challenges, market access, and the realities of working with government or defence customers, which a lot of our companies don\u2019t have.\u201d<\/p>\n DIGITAL has identified roughly 60 completed or active projects in its portfolio that either have defence applications or are exploring them. One example comes from Lethbridge, Alberta-based Verge Ag, which worked with DIGITAL to develop path-planning technology for agricultural machinery. Following Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, the company adapted its technology<\/a> to support Ukrainian farmers operating in hazardous terrain.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe built Path Planner to help farmers plan safer, more efficient field operations, and did not initially expect the same technology could support route planning around conflict-related hazards in Ukraine,\u201d Godard, CEO and co-founder of Verge Ag said in a statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n Godard said having a partner that can help connect the dots is crucial for companies transitioning from a civilian use case to a defence application.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the role DIGITAL plays for us, and it\u2019s exactly why webinar series like this one matter,\u201d he added. \u201cMost companies don\u2019t know what the path into defence looks like, or who the right partners are. DIGITAL is helping make that path visible for the rest of the ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n DIGITAL has also supported a project<\/a> led by Qu\u00e9bec-based Ova.ai, which created AI-enabled immersive training spaces specifically for the aerospace and naval industries.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe line between civilian and defence readiness is thinner than people think.\u201d<\/p>\n
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