Vanguard Magazine

I INNOVATION Jason Roy is manager of the EDGE Innovation Center in Ottawa. A COMPETITIVE EDGE New center confronts innovation challenge T o help ensure that innovation remains a priority in Can- ada, the government of Canada allocated $1.1 billion in the March 2012 budget to support research and develop- ment by Canadian companies. One way to leverage this support in the defence sector is to change the approach government, defence contractors and customers take to the innovation challenge. The development of a defence industrial strategy has been pro- moted for some time by the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries as a way to increase employment, innovation and economic activity. The Jenkins report issued in October 2011, Innovation Canada: A Call to Action, explored opportunities for government to support business and commercially-oriented R&D for "a more innovative and prosperous Canada." The report rec- ommended stimulating innovation through procurement. An approach built on ongoing collaboration between govern- ment and businesses can ensure R&D expenditures are focused in areas that will provide the greatest return on investment for all players, and increase Canadian productivity and competitiveness. "If you want to do things differently, then you have to do differ- ent things," notes Chris Pogue, vice-president Command, Con- trol, Communication and Integrated Sensor Systems (C3ISS) at General Dynamics Canada. "There is a better way of getting real 32 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2012 www.vanguardcanada.com capabilities to the field. That way is rooted in collaboration and community." Innovation catalyst This belief in innovation through collaboration is the foundation upon which General Dynamics Canada launched the EDGE In- novation Center in Ottawa. The facility is part of a network of 12 centers with more than 300 members in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a collaboration and innovation environment where industry, academia and govern- ment can work together to find innovative solutions to capabil- ity challenges identified by Canadian defence, security and public safety organizations. By bringing key stakeholders together in an open forum the EDGE acts as a catalyst for focused discussions that can accelerate the development of new products and tech- nologies. "We in the technology industry can't develop solutions in a vac- uum," says Bryan Righetti, management advisor for Omniglobe Solutions, an EDGE member. "The requirements have to come from somewhere. If we don't, in fact, have those requirements from the end user, then what we produce may be useless. The EDGE facility allows suppliers to showcase ideas and equipment

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