National defence, industrial capacity and innovation policy are increasingly connected. New federal commitments aim to capitalize on an investment in defence to build a stronger R&D ecosystem, drive domestic production and create opportunities to grow exports while supporting Canadian jobs. The opportunity is significant, but so is the challenge – Canada must overcome weak business innovation, lagging productivity and a persistent gap between discovery research strengths and lagging real-world adoption.

Polytechnics Canada’s recommendations include:

• Organize defence research under the Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Innovation and Science around a clear pathway from operational need to validated capability
• Mobilize federal research funding by enabling equality of access for polytechnics and universities
• Ensure the National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program’s (NRC IRAP) Defence Industry Assist includes a structured defence-readiness and onboarding pathway for small- and medium-sized businesses