Western has signed a new agreement with Dalhousie University, Atlantic Canada’s largest university globally renowned for oceanic and marine sciences.   The partnership was announced June 29 with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Halifax. The deal signals a move toward significant collaboration in defence, research security, innovation and artificial intelligence and a deepening of existing joint projects.   “Combining the strengths and resources from our two outstanding universities means we can accelerate research and innovation to fuel Canada’s economic prosperity and bolster Canadian sovereignty,” said Western President Alan Shepard, who signed the agreement alongside Dalhousie President Kim Brooks. “This new agreement will expand interdisciplinary and integrated research projects between our institutions, while leveraging further opportunities to engage industry and government partners.” 

Western and Dalhousie leaders (L to R) Graham Gagnon, Dalhousie’s vice-president of research and innovation; Grace Jefferies, Dalhousie’s vice-president of people and culture; Cathie O’Toole, vice-president of finance and administration; Western President Alan Shepard; Dalhousie President Kim Brooks; Penny Pexman, Western’s vice-president of research and Matt Hebb, Dalhousie’s vice-president of strategic engagement. (Dalhousie Communications)

The partnership comes at a pivotal point for Canada. Amid increasing threats to sovereignty and a strained trade relationship with the United States, the federal government is investing billions in national defence and critical infrastructure, while expanding economic and security ties across the globe.    

Defence and dual-use partnerships 

Dalhousie’s expertise in marine monitoring technology and coastal research fit well with Western’s strength in geospatial intelligence, land-based monitoring and space exploration through the Institute for Earth and Space Exploration, including a satellite-tracking system in use at four Canadian sites, with one in the High Arctic. Together, Dalhousie and Western research could speed up the deployment of made-in-Canada defence technologies needed to protect national sovereignty in maritime and Arctic regions.   “Dalhousie is a natural partner for Western, given its ocean coast location and many complementary strengths. Many of our researchers already have existing connections or partnerships with Dalhousie scholars that can be a model for future innovations to benefit Canadians,” said Penny Pexman, Western’s vice-president of research.  The collaboration will strengthen Western and Dalhousie’s role, along with the University of British Columbia, as academic partners in the Canadian Defence and Dual-Use Innovation Ecosystem (CDDE). That agreement, signed early this year with the German submarine builder TKMS, brings universities, Indigenous businesses and industry partners across Canada, Germany and Norway together to research and develop technologies that can be used in both civilian and defence applications.  CDDE’s founding partners, in collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), have already produced a pilot project to develop and demonstrate a secure, AI-powered communications system for Arctic conditions. The rugged, compact radio platform is designed to link drones, surface vessels and underwater assets through a unified communications network, enabling coordinated operations across air, sea and below-ground environments, with real-time control of drones and built-in data security.  The pilot project lays the groundwork for long-range Arctic missions, as well as further collaboration between Western and CDDE partners, positioning Western to play a key role in Canada’s sovereignty and defence. Growing international partnerships is a key priority in Towards Western at 150, the university’s strategic plan, and its global engagement plan, Western in the World.   

Strong Western, Dalhousie health-care collaboration

The MOU builds on existing and previous collaborations between Western and Dalhousie, including more than 1,500 joint publications since 2020, primarily health-care research across fields such as orthopedics, aging, cardiology and access to primary care. The universities are further connected through a range of other projects involving criminal justice, medieval music, climate change and commercializing innovation.   The new agreement also offers promising opportunities to move innovation into real-world use, with ability to access Dalhousie’s entrepreneurship accelerators, Dal Innovates and Lab2Market, on top of Western’s own suite of entrepreneurial programs across campus. Learn more about how Western is turning curiosity into solutions.