New funding to develop marine and microplastics solutions/Nouveau financement pour développer des solutions dans les domaines marin et microplastique

Sur le même sujet

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  14 septembre 2018 | Local, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR

  Here’s why Canada’s defence industry is such an innovation powerhouse

  Christyn (Chris) Cianfarani In late 2011, the Department of National Defence decided that the rafts it was using to carry out search and rescue operations in open water were due for an update. Part of DND's sea rescue kit, the new rafts needed to be compact and durable, but they also had to inflate reliably at temperatures as low as -50 C in the frozen expanses of Canada's North. If they didn't, lives could hang in the balance. Enter Benoit Corbeil and his team at Tulmar Safety Systems, who found a way to create a light, durable raft that could be safely airdropped, and would inflate manually on the ice or automatically in water. With a fully enclosed canopy, those rescued can now be immediately sheltered from the cold wind and freezing ocean spray. The responsibility to save lives is what drives people like Benoit and thousands of other Canadians working in the defence and security industries to continue creating innovative solutions to complex problems. In my role as the head of the Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI), I'm often struck by the sheer level of creativity and talent in our sector. But it shouldn't come as a surprise because we've been gathering evidence on this for a few years now. Flexible, collaborative and fruitful In May, CADSI – in partnership with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and Statistics Canada – released the latest State of Canada's Defence Industry report. We found that defence and security companies were behind $400 million worth of research and development (R&D) in 2016, resulting in an R&D intensity close to 4.5 times higher than the Canadian manufacturing average. Our members – now more than 900 of them across Canada – aren't doing this work in a vacuum, of course. They are collaborating with partners in academia, government and supply chains to push boundaries and develop brand new technologies. DND's new Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) Program will help encourage even more of this type of cooperation, allocating $1.6 -billion over two decades to innovative solutions that address Canada's defence and security challenges. Sixteen initial challenges have been identified, and start-ups, SMEs, corporations and academics have all been invited to apply. The first contracts were awarded in August, with more coming in fall 2018. But our industry's work is already having tangible, real-world impacts for average Canadians. In July, for instance, global satellite operator Telesat – a company headquartered right in Ottawa – launched the Telstar 19 VANTAGE. This powerful satellite will connect communities across Nunavut with faster and more reliable broadband, opening the territory to the world. We featured Telesat vice-president Michele Beck's contributions to this project in our My North, My Home campaign. Full article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heres-why-canadas-defence-industry-innovation-cianfarani/

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  21 octobre 2018 | Local, Naval

  Lockheed Martin selected as preferred designer for Canada's next generation of warships

  Murray Brewster · CBC News A group of companies led by multinational defence giant Lockheed Martin has been selected as the preferred designer for Canada's next generation of warships, the Liberal government said Friday. The announcement that the group's BAE Type 26 design won the design competition represents a significant step forward for the long-anticipated $60-billion program to replace the navy's aging fleet of frigates. "The Canadian Surface Combatant project is the largest, most complex procurement ever undertaken by the Government of Canada. These ships will form the backbone of our Royal Canadian Navy and will be Canada's major surface component of maritime combat power for decades to come," Public Services and Procurement Canada said in a press release. Procurement and defence officials say this is not the final step; they will now enter into negotiations with the winning bidder to confirm it can deliver everything promised in the complex proposal. (Some observers have compared the process to placing a conditional offer on a home.) The evaluation, which will take place over the winter, involves verifying the winning company's financial wherewithal to complete the project, confirming that the proposal meets the military's combat requirements and hammering down aspects of intellectual property licences. Cindy Tessier, head of communications for Lockheed Martin Canada, said today the company is "confident that our proposed solution meets the requirements established, offering the best ship for Canada, with the world's most advanced warship design ... "Our proposal is a true industry team effort, and we look forward to providing any additional information to the Government of Canada and Irving Shipbuilding. We are ready on Day 1." The federal government now says it expects to award the final design contract sometime over the winter. It could be 2023 before construction actually gets underway at the go-to yard for warships — Irving Shipbuilding of Halifax. But finally pulling the trigger on a designer is a "huge step," Dave Perry, an Ottawa-based procurement specialist at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, said in an interview with CBC's Power & Politics. "There's a huge degree of interest in having this done by the spring, and certainly before the next election." Perry said the importance of this order should not be underestimated, as the new ships will provide the navy with the bulk of its ocean-going fleet — vessels that can be used in war, to protect trade routes or to deliver humanitarian aid. "They can basically do anything the government wants them to do," he said. Perry said the $60-billion contract to build the frigates will be a major boon for the Halifax shipyard in particular. "When the economic impact starts spinning, it's really going to be meaningful," he said. André Fillion, the assistant deputy minister of defence and marine procurement at Public Services and Procurement Canada, said if the federal government is not satisfied that the top bidder can deliver, it will open negotiations with the second-place team of companies. Alion Science and Technology, along with its subsidiary Alion Canada, had submitted their proposal based on the Dutch De Zeven Provinciën Air Defence and Command (LCF) frigate. Navantia, a Spanish-based company, headed a team that included Saab and CEA Technologies. Its proposal was based on the F-105 frigate design, a ship in service with the Spanish navy. "The former naval officer in me is very excited," said Pat Finn, a retired rear admiral who heads up the Department of National Defence's material branch. "I've been around this for a long time." Fillion would not say which aspect of the "due diligence assessment" will be the toughest to overcome. Prior to asking for ship design bids, federal procurement officials spent a lot of time dealing with issues related to intellectual property on the complex systems that will be put into the new warships. Obtaining the necessary clearances is essential in order for the federal government to be able to maintain the vessels in the future. Failure to do so could cost taxpayers untold tens of millions of dollars — perhaps hundreds of millions — over the five decades the ships are expected to be in service. Some design changes are expected after the federal government selects an official winner and a contract is in place. How many changes will be required is a critical question; Finn would only say he doesn't anticipate cutting steel on the new warships for up to four years. That fuzzy timeline means the program is already months behind schedule. The design competition was launched almost two years ago, when the Liberal government said selecting a foreign, off-the-shelf design would be cheaper and faster than building a warship from scratch. Finn acknowledged there will be a production gap at the Irving yard in Halifax of about 18 months between construction of the navy's Arctic offshore patrol ships and the frigate replacements. He added, however, that the federal government is looking at a variety of options to keep the yard humming, including refit work on the existing frigates and possibly building an additional patrol ship, or ships. https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/lockheed-martin-selected-as-preferred-designer-for-canada-s-next-generation-of-warships-1.4869268

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  17 juin 2019 | Local, Aérospatial

  Le gouvernement du Canada annonce qu'il soutiendra la création d'un écosystème d'innovation dans le domaine de l'aérospatiale

  Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada Gr'ce à l'écosystème, on pourra mener des recherches, accélérer la commercialisation de produits et créer des emplois hautement spécialisés OTTAWA, le 16 juin 2019 /CNW/ - Les multinationales investissent dans les industries canadiennes de l'aérospatiale et de l'espace de calibre mondial parce qu'elles sont reconnues à l'international, axées sur l'exportation et tournées vers l'innovation. La réussite de ces industries est le fruit du talent d'une main-d'œuvre hautement qualifiée et de l'engagement du gouvernement du Canada à continuer d'accroître leur compétitivité. Reconnaissant l'importance d'une étroite collaboration entre les divers acteurs du domaine pour le développement des technologies de demain, le ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique, l'honorable Navdeep Bains, a annoncé un investissement qui pourrait atteindre 49 millions de dollars dans l'Association des industries aérospatiales du Canada, au titre du Fonds stratégique pour l'innovation - Écosystèmes nationaux. L'objectif est de rassembler les meilleurs chercheurs, entreprises et ressources de l'industrie de l'aérospatiale pour créer un écosystème national d'innovation dans ce domaine. Cet écosystème permettra de trouver des solutions aux défis technologiques que doit relever l'industrie, d'accélérer la commercialisation de produits nouveaux et améliorés, et de créer davantage d'emplois hautement spécialisés pour les Canadiens. Cette annonce a été faite lors de la visite du ministre Bains au Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget 2019, où il dirige une délégation de 420 représentants de plus de 140 entreprises canadiennes de l'aérospatiale. Plusieurs entreprises d'importance seront présentes au Salon, dont Airbus Canada Limited Partnership (anglais), Bell(anglais), Bombardier, CAE, Esterline, Héroux-Devtek, IMP Aerospace (anglais), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (anglais), Canada Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney Canada, Safran Landing Systems et Viking Air (anglais). Afin de promouvoir le Canada comme destination où investir pour les multinationales, le ministre Bains a rencontré des dirigeants d'entreprises nationales et étrangères de l'aérospatiale et de l'espace. Au cours de ces entretiens, il a pu souligner l'engagement pris par le gouvernement à l'égard de ces industries dans le Plan pour l'innovation et les compétences, une stratégie pluriannuelle visant à créer des emplois bien rémunérés pour la classe moyenne. Citations « Le gouvernement travaille en étroite collaboration avec nos entreprises de calibre mondial, y compris les petites et moyennes entreprises, pour renforcer la position enviable du Canada en tant que chef de file mondial de l'innovation dans les domaines de l'aérospatiale et de l'espace. Gr'ce à la collaboration entre les meilleurs chercheurs et les plus novatrices entreprises du pays visant la réalisation de percées dans le domaine de l'aérospatiale, il y aura davantage d'emplois de qualité pour les Canadiens qui veulent travailler au développement des technologies aérospatiales de l'avenir. - Le ministre de l'Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique, l'honorable Navdeep Bains Les faits en bref Le financement annoncé aujourd'hui pour l'Association des industries aérospatiales du Canada est issu du volet 5 du Fonds stratégique pour l'innovation. Ce volet vise à soutenir des initiatives d'envergure qui créeront une collaboration à forte incidence, au profit des Canadiens et des écosystèmes d'innovation canadiens. En 2018, l'industrie de l'aérospatiale a contribué pour plus de 25 milliards de dollars au produit intérieur brut, et a offert de l'emploi à environ 213 000 personnes au sein de l'économie canadienne. Le Canada se classe au premier rang mondial de la production de simulateurs de vols civils, de turbopropulseurs et de moteurs d'hélicoptère. Le Canada est le seul pays figurant au palmarès des cinq meilleurs pays pour tous les sous-segments des simulateurs de vols civils, des moteurs et des aéronefs. Les entreprises du secteur canadien de la fabrication aérospatiale utilisent près de 50 % plus de technologies de pointe et deux fois plus de technologies émergentes clés que la moyenne du secteur de la fabrication. Le 6 mars 2019, le gouvernement du Canada a publié Exploration, imagination, innovation : Une nouvelle stratégie spatiale pour le Canada, sa stratégie spatiale nationale qui met l'accent sur la valeur stratégique de l'espace et de l'exploration spatiale pour le Canada. Premier pays à s'engager à participer à la mission du « Gateway » lunaire dirigée par la NASA, le Canada réalise des investissements considérables pour mettre au point la technologie de satellite de communication en orbite basse, dans le but de brancher les Canadiens, peu importe où ils vivent au pays. https://www.newswire.ca/fr/news-releases/le-gouvernement-du-canada-annonce-qu-il-soutiendra-la-creation-d-un-ecosysteme-d-innovation-dans-le-domaine-de-l-aerospatiale-838896972.html