Government of Canada partners with industry in roadmap to foster development of innovative materials and armour products

OTTAWA, May 26, 2016 /CNW/ - A new roadmap in Canada will guide the development of next-generation armour products. It will facilitate a dialogue among Canadian and international industry, research and development organizations, and defence and security focused government agencies.

The Security Material Technology Roadmap will act as a hub for the development of advanced armour systems in Canada and help provide the best armour solutions to Canadian military and security forces.

"The roadmap will accelerate innovation, productivity, and the global competiveness of Canada's security materials sector," says Dr. Duncan Stewart, General Manager of Security and Disruptive Technologies at the National Research Council of Canada. "The program has already undertaken several successful projects and is now ready to accelerate collaboration and encourage new ones."

Last fall, the industry-led roadmap was developed following a workshop attended by over 130 participants from a wide range of security materials stakeholders. It started with reviews of current challenges and future needs of key equipment users such as the Canadian Armed Forces and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

"Workshop participants identified both critical future product requirements and the underlying new technologies that will be required by Canadian industry to meet future market demands," says Dr. Marc Fortin, Assistant Deputy Minister (Science and Technology) for the Department of National Defence. "With the establishment of this framework for sector dialogue and coordination, we are now inviting all stakeholders to get involved."

Preliminary details of this roadmap will be shared with industry and other participants this week at CANSEC, Canada's Global Defence and Security Trade Show in Ottawa.

Related links

• Canadian Security Materials Technology Roadmap initiative
• Security Materials Technologies program
• Defence Research and Development Canada

 

SOURCE National Research Council Canada

Media Relations Team, National Research Council of Canada, 613-991-1431, 1-855-282-1637 (24/7), [email protected], Twitter: @NRC_CNRC; Media Relations, Department of National Defence, 613-996-2353, 1-866-377-0811 (toll-free), [email protected]