Defence accelerator Vimy Forge bridges gap between military and industry

HALIFAX · The entrepreneurs gathered outside Canadian Forces Base Halifax on a Tuesday morning in early October were under one strict rule from their program director: absolutely no selling. They were there to observe, ask questions and receive frank feedback from Royal Canadian Navy crews about how their developing technologies might or might not work for the military. This direct dialogue is the core mission of Vimy Forge, a Canadian defence accelerator launched last March, which aims to solve a chronic problem in procurement by putting industry and the Armed Forces in the same room. Duncan McSporran, Vimy Forge's managing director and a former British Army infantry soldier, said he has seen the consequences when technology is sold to defence because it fits a procurement box, not because it meets the end-user's actual needs.

Vimy Forge, a Fredericton-based non-profit, officially launched in January with nearly $1 million in federal funding. That investment is part of a larger $357.7 million initiative delivered through Regional Development Agencies to help smaller companies enter supply chains under Ottawa's Defence Industrial Strategy. The accelerator has also received funding from the New Brunswick government and the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation. Its work supports a larger federal goal of awarding more defence contracts to Canadian companies and growing revenues for small and medium-sized businesses in the sector. The program comes as Canada embarks on increased defence spending, aiming to allocate 5 percent of GDP to defence by 2035 to meet NATO obligations.

The nine companies in Vimy Forge's inaugural cohort are developing technologies applicable to the industrial strategy, ranging from uncrewed ground vehicles to textiles and drone-detection software. Their official programming runs for 12 months, including four in-person, week-long intensive sessions that often involve field trips to military bases and meetings with government and investment stakeholders. The goal is to create pathways for these companies to grow, attract investment and ultimately secure contracts. "We as a nation end up with the right capabilities in the right hands at the right time," McSporran said.

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During the October visit, the cohort first toured 12 Wing Shearwater, a Royal Canadian Air Force base, to learn aviators' needs. At CFB Halifax, they met with crews from the frigate HMCS Charlottetown and the Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ship HMCS Harry DeWolf. Over several hours, the entrepreneurs witnessed how the navy maintains and operates its fleet and heard specific challenges. Crew members were frank about issues like ice navigation at night, connectivity in remote areas and cooling computational devices on board. The no-sales stipulation seemed to invite candour, McSporran said.

The entrepreneurs were equally direct with their questions. One pointed out that, according to new research in the journal Nature, only 20 percent of the Arctic Ocean floor is mapped. He asked the crew of HMCS Harry DeWolf if they actively monitor and map, and if they have that capability. A crew member responded no, adding that the Armed Forces ship operating in the Arctic does not collect or store survey data. That was one of several valuable pieces of information picked up throughout the day. Others included details on naval procurement authorities in Ottawa and advice to consider screen brightness for exterior technologies to avoid detection.

For Tomek Bartczak, founder and CEO of cohort company Engineering Design Lab, these lessons made the time away from his Toronto office worthwhile. But beyond a better understanding of the end user, he highlighted the camaraderie among cohort members as a major boost. "Seeing people struggling with the same problems, it's really useful," Bartczak said. Adrian Bulzacki of cohort company Prodigy Intelligence, who has been part of several accelerators, said Vimy Forge is different because the companies share a purpose to serve national defence. "It's really intense in terms of how many things we have to learn about and the resources they provide to us," Bulzacki said. "Vimy Forge is the first one to do it right, as more people are trying to get into the accelerator space."

Traditionally, industry and the military have operated in distinct silos, trusting the defence procurement system to fulfill needs through its bureaucratic process. This presents a problem because the Forces will not ask for a technology they do not know exists, and industry cannot sell its technology unless it fits specific procurement criteria. These silos are slowly breaking down due to concerted efforts by industry, government and the Armed Forces to create a system more amenable to defence innovation. On Oct. 7, the Business Development Bank of Canada announced it would join the federal government in supporting Vimy Forge's second cohort.

With files from The Globe and Mail