INDRO’S STRATEGY SUBMISSION
As a leading R&D company, InDro Robotics – and countless other Canadian technology firms – have a stake in how Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy takes shape. We are intimately familiar with existing government incentives and procurement processes. We know what works – and are eager to see the Federal Government implement an accessible, thoughtful and accountable strategy. As a result, we thought it prudent to prepare a submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology, which is conducting a study on how best to draft and implement the DIS.
Our submission recognises, as the Honourable David McGuinty pointed out, that Canadian SMEs must be at the core of this strategy. It we want truly sovereign defence capabilities we must look to domestic solutions, Canadian intellectual property, and strengthened Canadian supply chains.
A robust Defence Industrial Strategy, we argue, must allow Canadian SMEs to grow and scale. It should ultimately increase reliance on domestic innovation, while decreasing reliance on foreign contractors. We also suggest the DIS be structured in a manner where there’s a high degree of accountability, with measurable results and reviews to ensure objectives are being achieved and flexible enough that changes can be made over time to maximise its benefits.
“Without a strategy that provides predictable procurement pathways, supports SME scale-up, and invests in dual-use innovation, the government risks falling short of its objectives,” we write in our introduction.
“Canada’s allies already pair defence spending increases with targeted industrial strategies that bring emerging technologies rapidly into service and help domestic firms compete globally,” we continue. “The DIS is an opportunity to do the same: to build sovereign capability, strengthen supply chain resilience, retain intellectual property in Canada, and enable high-growth Canadian firms to scale into world leaders.”
RECOMMENDATIONS
In total, we make four recommendations.
The first is to prioritise SMEs as core contributors to the Strategy.
“The DIS should explicitly identify SMEs as central to Canada’s sovereign defence and security capacity, with procurement, innovation programs, and industrial-development tools calibrated to grow and sustain a resilient SME ecosystem,” we write.
Our second suggestion is that clear pathways be established to allow SMEs to scale up. We call, specifically, for “structured pathways” for high-growth SMEs to grow, with the ultimate goal that these SMEs will, over time, become primes within their technology verticals.
Our third recommendation is that the eventual Defence Industrial Strategy set aside “targeted, accessible, and adequately resourced funding mechanisms that enable SMEs to invest in R&D, certification, security clearances, manufacturing capacity, and export readiness.”
And finally, we respectfully emphasise the importance of evaluation and accountability after the DIS is deployed to ensure maximum effectiveness and impact.
“The DIS should be subject to a mandatory biennial review, measuring progress against key performance indicators such as defence sector growth, SME participation rates, supply chain resilience, technology adoption, and contributions to Canada’s GDP. A joint report tabled in Parliament by the Ministers of Industry and National Defence would reinforce accountability and ensure the Strategy remains responsive, measurable, and execution focused.”
The quotes above are taken from our recommendations summary; we go into far greater detail on each of the four points. We see the eventual DIS as a critical blueprint not only for allowing dual-purpose innovations to flourish, but also as a key pillar in Canada’s defence and sovereignty in an increasingly uncertain world. We believe made-in-Canada solutions are imperative for this program to reach its long-term objectives.
Below: Our dual-purpose Cortex Lite brain box can be integrated onto any platform, enabling autonomous missions, remote teleoperation, seamless integration of any sensors – and much more. Platform-agnostic devices like these can be used in industrial, research, defence settings and more:
