Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security

What Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security does

Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) is a program of the Canadian Department of National Defence, launched in 2019 with a CAD $1 billion funding commitment over 20 years, that connects external innovators with Canadian defence and security challenges. The program operates five core funding mechanisms: Competitive Projects (up to CAD $6.75M in phased development), Innovation Networks (up to CAD $1.5M for university-led collaboration), Sandboxes (controlled test environments), Contests (cash-prize competitions), and Test Drives (real-world evaluation by defence personnel). To date IDEaS has funded 776 projects across 344+ entities and issued 83 challenges. Program delivery is supported by an annual Marketplace event (700+ attendees in 2025) and a registration portal at ideasreg.com managed by a third-party event administrator.

IDEaS serves four primary constituencies: Canadian innovators and start-ups (who keep their IP while accessing funding and defence expertise), defence and security industry firms, academia and research institutions (via university-led Micro-nets), and military end users in the Canadian Armed Forces who acquire and evaluate funded solutions. The program maintains strategic alliances with the NATO Innovation Hub, NATO DIANA, US AFWERX/DIU/NavalX/SOF AT&L/DHS, UK DASA, the French Agence de l'Innovation de Défense, the Dutch and Norwegian ministries of defence, and the New Zealand Defence Force. Domestically, IDEaS co-operates with BOREALIS on the Defence Innovation Secure Hubs (DISH) initiative, which has launched a Maritime pilot prioritized around quantum and counter-drone capabilities.

The business model is structurally a grant and capability-acquisition conduit rather than a commercial revenue model: funding flows from the Department of National Defence outward to innovators, with no disclosed fees, licenses, royalties, or equity returns. Selected funded projects (e.g., Xanadu's quantum battery work under the NORAD Modernization contest) demonstrate high-technology thematic emphasis on quantum, autonomous systems, 5G communications, and counter-UAS. Program reach is concentrated in Canada, with international cooperation enabling downstream export of Canadian-funded innovators into allied procurement ecosystems.

Name

Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security

Legal name

Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security

Website

https://ideasreg.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) is a Canadian Department of National Defence program, launched in 2019 with CAD $1 billion over 20 years, that funds and connects innovators with Canadian defence and security challenges through five mechanisms: Competitive Projects, Innovation Networks, Sandboxes, Contests, and Test Drives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Innovation Funding Program

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense R&D, Test, Evaluation & Innovation (BPAIAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Defence innovation funding
• Government research grants
• Defence challenge contests
• Competitive project funding
• Innovation network programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Funding Program: IDEaS is a Department of National Defence program that provides funding to innovators. It does not generate revenue but distributes over $1 billion in funding over 20 years to support defence and security innovation in Canada.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

IDEaS is a Canadian Department of National Defence funding program that provides five mechanisms — Competitive Projects, Innovation Networks, Sandboxes, Contests, and Test Drives — to assist Canadian innovators in solving defence and security challenges. Innovators retain their intellectual property while receiving funding (up to $6.75M phased) plus access to defence scientists, controlled test environments, and pathways to DND/CAF acquisition.

Product overview

IDEaS (Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security) is a Department of National Defence program that does not operate as a single product but as a multi-element innovation platform. The program consists of five core elements: Competitive Projects (offering up to $6.75M in phased development funding), Innovation Networks (up to $1.5M for collaborative research), Sandboxes (controlled testing environments), Contests (competitive prize-based challenges), and Test Drives (real-world product assessment). Additionally, the IDEaS Portal (ideasreg.com) serves as the web-based registration and event management platform. The program has funded over 776 projects, issued 83 challenges, and supported more than 344 funded entities with over $1 billion in funding over 20 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Competitive Projects Phased development funding mechanism providing up to $6.75M to innovators developing defence and security technology solutions. Open to Canadian innovators seeking to advance technology through structured development phases for potential DND/CAF adoption.
• Innovation Networks Collaborative research funding mechanism providing up to $1.5M for Canadian university-led Micro-nets — multidisciplinary teams including investigators from at least three different institutions — to collaborate with academics, industry, and other partners on defence and security challenges.
• Sandboxes Controlled-environment testing program where IDEaS provides the scenario and environment and innovators provide the science and technology to be tested. Allows Canadian innovators to validate defence and security innovations before deployment.
• Contests Competitive challenges offering cash prizes for innovative solutions to specific military and defence problems. Participants compete against fellow innovators to solve priority military challenges, such as the IDEaS NORAD Modernization S&T Contest.
• Test Drives Real-world product and service assessment program in which Canadian Armed Forces personnel acquire and evaluate innovative solutions proposed by participants, providing a pathway for innovators to validate solutions in operational defence environments.
• IDEaS Marketplace Annual showcase event held in Ottawa that connects IDEaS-funded innovators with DND/CAF stakeholders and potential end users through exhibitor booths and five-minute solution presentations. The 2025 edition attracted 700+ attendees.
• IDEaS Portal Web platform at ideasreg.com that handles challenge registrations, event sign-ups, login management, and program participant communications for the IDEaS program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 776 projects funded to date
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Xanadu (Canadian quantum computing company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 July 2025Xanadu, a Canadian quantum computing company, was selected for Round 1 of the IDEaS NORAD Modernization S&T Contest to develop quantum algorithms for next-generation battery design. The company will receive $1,000,000 CAD to create simulations for batteries resilient to extreme conditions including temperature changes, mechanical pressures, and radiation exposure, targeting Arctic mobility and navigation capabilities for military platforms.
• BOREALIS (Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Innovation and Science)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBOREALIS is a joint program office that works with IDEaS to establish Defence Innovation Secure Hubs (DISH). DISH will create secure, mission-oriented innovation clusters convening government, industry, academia around priority capability challenges. The Maritime DISH pilot has been established, with quantum and drone/counter-drone capabilities identified as priority areas.
• Canadian Universities (Micro-nets)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDEaS Innovation Networks are led by Canadian universities. Micro-nets are self-organized multidisciplinary teams led by a Canadian university including investigators from at least three different institutions. Universities include McGill, York, Concordia, University of Calgary, McMaster, Polytechnique Montréal, Carleton, University of Manitoba, University of British Columbia, and Université de Sherbrooke.
• NATO Innovation HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDEaS collaborates with NATO Innovation Hub on international defence innovation cooperation. The program also participates in NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic), with Canadian innovators selected as qualifiers.
• Various Defence Industry CompaniesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompanies that have participated in IDEaS contests and received funding include: SNC-Lavalin, ATCO Frontec, Terragon Environmental Technologies, DEW Engineering, Pop Up City Inc., and many others involved in energy, water, and waste management solutions for deployed camps.
• International Defence Innovation ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIDEaS collaborates with international defence innovation programs including: NATO Emerging Security Challenges Division, UK Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), US AFWERX, US DIU, US NavalX, US SOF AT&L, US DHS, New Zealand Defence Force, French Agence de l'Innovation de Défense, Dutch Ministry of Defence, and Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC): Canadian federal agency within DND that actually administers IDEaS — broader scientific research and development mandate covering all defence S&T versus IDEaS's narrower innovation-accelerator focus.
• DARPA (US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency): US DoD agency funding high-risk, high-reward defence R&D — much larger and more research-oriented than IDEaS, but operates in the same defence R&D funding space with a portfolio rather than accelerator focus.

Direct peers

• AFWERX (US Air Force): US Air Force innovation program that connects airmen and industry with funding, challenges, and accelerator pathways for emerging defence technologies — same accelerator/funding model as IDEaS but serving the US Department of the Air Force.
• NATO DIANA (Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic): NATO's accelerator providing funding, mentorship, and test environments to dual-use deep-tech innovators across allied nations — IDEaS is an explicit partner and Canadian innovators qualify through NATO DIANA.
• Defense Innovation Unit (DIU, US DoD): US Department of Defense unit that accelerates commercial technology into military use through prototype contracts and pathways to acquisition — directly comparable mission to IDEaS's Competitive Projects and Test Drives mechanisms.
• BOREALIS (Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Innovation and Science): Canadian joint program office partnering with IDEaS to establish Defence Innovation Secure Hubs (DISH) — operates in the same Canadian defence innovation ecosystem with overlapping mission around secure mission-oriented innovation clusters.
• DASA (Defence and Security Accelerator, UK): UK Ministry of Defence innovation funding program that issues challenges and funds innovators to solve defence and security problems — structurally analogous to IDEaS with calls for proposals, contests, and phased funding across the UK ecosystem.
• Agence de l'Innovation de Défense (France): French Ministry of Defence innovation agency funding dual-use deep tech and defence startups — listed as an IDEaS international partner and operates an analogous challenge-and-fund structure for the French armed forces.

Regional players

• Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI): Norway's principal defence research institution, listed as an IDEaS international cooperation partner — comparable defence R&D funder but operating under Norwegian procurement and sovereignty rules rather than Canadian ones.
• SOCOM SOF AT&L (US Special Operations Command): US Special Operations Command's acquisition, technology, and logistics organization listed as an IDEaS international partner — funds similar rapid-prototyping and commercial-tech transition but for US special operations rather than Canadian Armed Forces.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments21 records

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Frequently asked questions about Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security