Vanguard Magazine

28 APRIL/MAY 2019 www.vanguardcanada.com ary teams of innovators and operators to help refine various aspects of the defence and security science and technology chal- lenges. Participants – including profession- als from academia, groups of experts from government and non-government organi- zations – may be invited to work with De- fence subject-matter experts to refine and analyze complex defence challenges. Integrators are DND experts assigned to follow proposed projects and explore and advise how innovations might be used to solve innovation challenges. Integrators leverage scientific, defence, and security knowledge and expertise to provide key insights and identify linkages to Defence. The third enabler is Mobility, which is designed to promote innovation through the collaborative exchange of knowledge and ideas. It offers one-way exchange opportunities to applicants from govern- ment, partner organizations, industry and academia involved in IDEaS projects to share expertise and build capability. The first IDEaS' element release coincid- ed with the launch of the program. Under Competitive projects, 16 defence and secu- rity challenges received over 600 proposals from across Canada with almost $27 mil- lion being invested through 160 contract awards. The program has since launched a second Competitive projects call with nine new challenges, and contracting for the re- cipients is underway. There had also been two calls for Innovation Networks, with 12 contribution agreements recently being awarded, a total investment of $18 mil- lion. The first Sandbox is also progressing well, with the first trials expected to take place in the fall of 2019 and a second re- quest for proposals recently being released. IDEaS is working on finalizing the various enabler components which will soon allow increased access to more defence subject matter experts. Outreach Another key to success? Getting the word out. Much of the program's success in this first year is a direct result of numer- ous engagement activities by the IDEaS program team. The work began prior to the program launch when the IDEaS team travelled across Canada setting the stage. Their goal was to inform and attract in- novators and non-traditional players who could propose and generate solutions in the defence and security fields once the program launched. These efforts have continued with team members showcasing IDEaS at meetings, conferences and trade- shows, one-on-one sessions, webinars, and focus groups from coast to coast to coast. Outreach activities have reached the full spectrum of potential program par- ticipants, from academia to industry, profit and not-for profit sectors, individual inno- vators, as well as all levels of government. The result of these efforts is a network of more than 3,000 stakeholders, more than 850 proposals received through five differ- ent calls for proposals, and more than 160 contracts and contributions signed with Canadian innovators. "The response to IDEaS has been out- standing. I am proud of what has been achieved this year across all of the research programs within the Department of Na- tional Defence's Science and Technology branch and for the synergy that IDEaS investment has brought to overall S&T capability," said Ms. Isabelle Desmartis, Assistant Deputy Minister (Science and Technology). Next steps Still in its relative infancy, the program team will continue to refine, streamline and grow IDEaS by building on progress and successes from the past year. The coming months will see a number of milestones, including the launch of the third call for proposals for defence and se- curity challenges in building cyber capability, defending space missions, sustaining opera- tions, force protection and more. IDEaS will also release the first Contest element calling for concepts for a temporary deployable city for personnel in an arctic environment. In the coming year, all IDEaS elements and enablers will be implemented. The program team will continue outreach and engagement activities seeking out new and non-traditional innovators, and an inaugu- ral Innovation Networks Symposium will be held where innovators can discuss all things IDEaS. While the past year has proven successful in establishing the program and support- ing growth in Canada's innovation sector, the team is continually evaluating how the program can be made more effective to en- sure long-term success. From coast to coast, the IDEaS program is tapping into some of the best minds from across Canada's innovation community. Their efforts and collaboration with De- fence are providing opportunities to sup- port and expand Canada's innovation sec- tor while helping ensure that our Canadian Armed Forces are agile, well-equipped and combat-ready, prepared to conduct the full spectrum of operations both at home and internationally. This article was submitted by the IDeaS team. deFenCe PoLiCY Photos: The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces.

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