Government of Canada Announces R&D; Investments in Joint Strike Fighter Projects

BROSSARD, November 29, 2006 — The Honourable Michael M. Fortier, Minister of Public Works and Government Services, on behalf of the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Industry, today announced two repayable investments totalling $3.2 million in research and development (R&D) projects that will support two Canadian firms’ participation in the multinational Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. These projects undertaken by Adacel Inc. and CaseBank Technologies Inc. will create and maintain highly skilled jobs in Canada, while contributing to improved pilot safety around the world.

“Canada’s new government is working hard to maximise business opportunities available to Canadian firms under the JSF program,” said Minister Fortier.

“Canada’s aerospace and defence sector is a world-leader in innovative R&D; projects,” said Minister Bernier. “These investments focus on keeping pilots safe and using technology to detect problems before they happen.”

Adacel Inc., a Quebec company based in Brossard, will receive a $1.5 million investment in a $3.8 million R&D project to develop an easy to use, adaptable and supportable speech recognition system. The technology will enable pilots to execute a variety of commands such as navigation and checklists by voice activation, thus keeping the pilot’s focus on flying the aircraft and other mission-critical activities.

“This investment enables us to participate actively in the development of the world’s most advanced fighter airplane through the application of leading edge speech recognition technology to the control of cockpit avionics,” said Seth Brown, General Manager, Adacel Canada. “We appreciate the Government of Canada’s continued support of advanced technology opportunities which otherwise may not be available to businesses of our size."

CaseBank Technologies Inc. of Brampton, Ontario, will receive $1.7 million for a $4.4-million project to develop software that will significantly improve the efficiency of maintenance support throughout the entire life cycle of the aircraft. This problem-solving diagnostic technology will yield both cost-saving and public safety benefits.

" This investment allows CaseBank to advance its diagnostic technology in collaboration with major international aerospace companies," said Phil D'Eon, President and Chief Technology Officer. "Our partnership with the Government of Canada helps to ensure that our technology will continue to be recognized as state-of the-art and globally competitive."

These investments are being made through Technology Partnerships Canada, an agency of Industry Canada, using a new model contribution agreement that emphasizes enhanced transparency and accountability.

For further details on these projects, see the attached backgrounder on Adacel and CaseBank.

For more information, please contact:

Isabelle Fontaine
Office of the Honourable Maxime Bernier
Minister of Industry
(613) 995-9001

Media Relations
Industry Canada
(613) 943-2502