OTTAWA: Canada’s government said on March 9, 2026 that the National Research Council of Canada will invest more than C$900 million under Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy, focusing on drones and aerospace, support for Canadian firms developing defence and dual-use technology, quantum research tied to defence and security needs, and biomedical countermeasures. The announcement was made by Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, National Defence Minister David J. McGuinty and Secretary of State for Defence Procurement Stephen Fuhr.
The NRC said more than C$500 million of the funding is set aside to advance aerospace technologies and support the development of autonomous systems and new defence solutions, including work aimed at strengthening Canada’s drone defence capabilities. As part of that envelope, the NRC said it is establishing a Drone Innovation Hub in Ottawa and in the Mirabel area, designed to advance research, development and commercialization for defence, security and dual-use drone applications.
The NRC said the hub is intended to expand drone and counter-drone development and testing capacity and provide a route for industry to qualify new drone technologies. The aerospace package also includes funding for the acquisition of a Canadian-built Bombardier Global 6500 aircraft that the NRC said would be used for defence-related technology development with industry and academia, as the agency works with partners on aerospace technologies and related systems.
Support for Defence and Dual-use Firms
Beyond aerospace, the NRC said it is backing Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises through Defence Industry Assist, known as DI Assist, a new initiative under the NRC’s Industrial Research Assistance Program. The NRC said DI Assist launched in January 2026 and provides C$241 million in funding and advice to high-potential, innovative Canadian SMEs to advance made-in-Canada defence and dual-use technologies with both civilian and military applications.
The NRC said the program is designed to help build a base of firms able to develop and scale dual-use technologies, while also providing the Department of National Defence with visibility on emerging technology and manufacturing opportunities. The agency said NRC IRAP works with close to 10,000 SMEs each year, and it framed the new funding as part of its long-standing collaboration with the Department of National Defence and industry partners.
Quantum and Biomedical Measures
On quantum, the NRC said it is investing more than C$161 million over five years to advance quantum technology for defence and security applications, including funding for industry, academic and government researchers. The NRC said the focus areas include quantum sensing, quantum internetworking and quantum-safe communications, and it cited efforts such as expanding its Quantum Sensors Challenge program toward defence uses, including navigation in GPS-denied environments and applications that can aid surveillance or reconnaissance.
The NRC also set out related initiatives tied to quantum measurement and production capacity, including work to ensure Canadian quantum technologies inform global standards, benchmarking support for technical assessments of Canadian quantum platforms, and a quantum-safe technologies initiative focused on the transition to post-quantum cryptography. Separately, the NRC said it is investing C$28 million to strengthen rapid response capabilities for biological threats, high-consequence pathogens and pandemics, including a Biomedical Countermeasures Initiative aimed at bolstering capacity for biologics development and manufacturing of diagnostics, vaccines and therapeutics, and it said Canada’s defence industry contributes nearly C$10 billion to GDP and supports more than 81,000 jobs, while the NRC reported delivering more than 975 joint projects with the Department of National Defence since 2021 – By Content Syndication Services.