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Western University is playing a growing role in bringing together researchers, industry and governments to develop creative solutions amid a renewed focus on national sovereignty.
From the new Southern Ontario Defence Innovation Network (SODIN) to a campus event connecting the Canadian Army with academic and industry collaborators, new opportunities are emerging for Western scholars to engage in research advancing Canada’s defence priorities.
On Oct. 19, the university hosted military leaders, government representatives, industry partners and researchers on campus to discuss emerging technology challenges and shared innovation goals.
“Western helped to facilitate new connections between our researchers, industry partners and the Canadian Army. This is an opportunity to explore research that can have a real-world impact,” said Dave Muir, associate vice-president of innovation and strategic partnerships.
“This is a concrete step toward building innovation pipelines that connect industry, armed forces and academia – all at the same table, at the same time. Universities are uniquely positioned to help advance national priorities as Canada works to safeguard its sovereignty.”
The success of the event at Western has prompted the Canadian Army to explore similar engagements with other post-secondary institutions, recognizing campuses as valuable spaces for linking military, industry and academic partners for discussion and collaboration. Western was the first institution to host this style of engagement.
The event was designed to increase awareness and participation in Canadian Army land systems procurement opportunities. Hosted in partnership with the Best Defence Conference and the Canadian Army, central themes included energy and power management, connecting command and control systems, supporting mobility and uncrewed systems, among others.
Major-General Stéphane Masson, chief of Army Force Development, highlighted the importance of collaboration across Canada’s defence ecosystem.
“Bringing together representatives from the defence industry, government and academia is a complex undertaking. The collaboration among these diverse stakeholders was instrumental in delivering a highly successful engagement and creating an event conducive to meaningful discussion.”
Senior university leaders and researchers from across disciplines joined representatives from local companies in aviation, manufacturing and defence, Canadian Army directors and Doug Guzman, HBA’88, CEO of the Defence Investment Agency, a new government arm to accelerate defense procurement and deliver better capabilities for the Canadian Armed Forces.
The event preceded the Best Defence Conference, held annually in London, Ont. to connect industry, the Canadian Armed Forces and governments. Best Defence is run by Pilot Hill Ltd. and was sponsored by Western.
The university can play a key role in bringing together the expertise needed to develop solutions to Canada’s evolving security and sovereignty challenges, Muir said.
“We have state-of-the-art research infrastructure, highly qualified research expertise and talent pipelines that have existed for many years – they are all incredibly relevant and can play an important role at this moment in time.” – Dave Muir, associate vice-president of innovation and strategic partnerships
“For example, our researchers are working on technologies ranging from autonomous systems and drones to advanced communications and satellite monitoring. Bringing researchers, industry and the Canadian military together helps turn those ideas into practical solutions,” he added.
Western is also one of five founding members of SODIN, joining McMaster and the universities of Guelph, Waterloo and Windsor to strengthen scientific partnerships, foster innovation and contribute to societal, technological and economic development for Canadian defence needs.
SODIN will support the Canadian Armed Forces and defence industry needs by providing access to talent, research environments and expertise in fields like advanced materials science, artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous systems, agricultural science and others.
Last week’s event and Western’s participation in SODIN build on a growing portfolio of defence-related research partnerships.
Earlier this year, the university signed an agreement with Dalhousie University focused on AI, defence and research security, strengthening its role in the Canadian Defence and Dual-Use Innovation Ecosystem (CDDE). Led by German naval shipbuilder and defence company TKMS, the preferred bidder for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project, CDDE brings together Western, Dalhousie, the University of British Columbia, Indigenous businesses and industry partners in Canada, Germany and Norway to advance technologies with both civilian and defence applications.
