DELIVERING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR IMPACT

Linkages to External Partners

The Defence S&T; Enterprise depends upon access to the international S&T; base and to S&T; providers outside of the department and the Canadian Forces. This access provides the window onto global S&T; advancements critical to defence and security and to future acquisitions. Although key S&T; capabilities are developed and reside within the Defence S&T; Enterprise, access to outside S&T; providers augments the internal capabilities in areas where other sources are more economical, offers alternative solutions, avoids duplication of effort and unnecessary infrastructure investments and provides surge capacity when needed.

Measurable benefits include: increased S&T; capacity to support departmental core processes, shortened fielding times for technology solutions and improved access to global leading-edge S&T; advancements. These external linkages also support the innovation agenda of the Government of Canada. In short, linkages to external partners are critical to the success of the Defence S&T; Enterprise.

These linkages are purpose-built to ensure compatible objectives with each external partner community. They are grouped according to four communities. However, most S&T; activities will likely have linkages to more than one of these communities.

Other Government Departments

The Defence S&T; Enterprise links to other Government of Canada departments and central agencies. Capabilities and infrastructure that exist in other federal and provincial government departments can be applied to defence and security priorities, and strategic partnerships must be nurtured accordingly. On the other hand, the Defence S&T; Enterprise contributes to the development and advancement of federal policies where appropriate, provides an S&T; perspective and advice to senior policy makers, and contributes to or leads government initiatives.

In particular, the common needs and interests of the defence and security agenda benefit from a shared approach to providing S&T; solutions. The Defence S&T; Enterprise plays a proactive role in contributing to the public security S&T; agenda, just as the Canadian Forces contribute to the public security agenda.

Allied Defence and Security S&T; Organizations

Canada and its allies share common challenges and are often required to work together in defence and security operations. It is mutually beneficial to develop common solutions so as to: lower the cost of defence and security technology development to each participant through cooperative effort and burden sharing, promote interoperability through shared technology developments and processes, and increase global security through a mutual understanding of the state of the art in defence and security technologies.

The Defence S&T; Enterprise nurtures and maintains a portfolio of trusted bilateral and multilateral partnerships with the S&T; organizations of Canada's defence and security partner nations and military alliances such as NATO. Canada must be a credible and valued partner within these relationships, one that respects the sensitivity of information provided by her partners, and brings world calibre capabilities and knowledge to the table in niche areas.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR PROBLEM SOLVING AND IMPROVED SAFETY

Captain Amy Tsai-Lamoureux of the Quality Engineering Test Establishment finds causes of problems with aircraft and identifies solutions to prevent future problems.

Industry

Industry forms a key component of the Canadian innovation system. The Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence depend upon Canadian and international industrial suppliers to provide equipment and system solutions to important problems. Industry is a major source of innovative ideas and has the capability to translate concepts into reality. It is critical that the Defence S&T; Enterprise develops strategic relationships with domestic and multi-national industry so that all parties are appropriately able to contribute their best ideas across all core processes and co-develop solutions to identified challenges through a sharing of ideas and provision of unique expertise.

These partnerships also provide the basis by which co-developed technological solutions can be positioned for Canadian Forces acquisition and for commercialization within appropriate international markets, thereby supporting national economic objectives.

Academia

By encouraging the engagement of Canadian universities and the academic system more generally, in defence and security S&T; activities, innovative ideas can be identified and explored at the early stages of development at minimal cost. By building strategic partnerships with granting councils, the Enterprise strengthens the defence and security community of interest within academia, while leveraging the government investments in academia. These partnerships can also lead to shared investments in critical S&T; infrastructure and to the interchange of government and academic researchers.

Universities are the source of future defence S&T; workers. Participation in defence and security S&T; activities, in partnership with the Defence S&T; Enterprise, promotes the development of effective education programs and graduates that meet the specific needs of the defence and security S&T; community.

The Canadian Forces' university, the Royal Military College, is an important asset in this respect as it has the ability to engage the broader academic system in Canada, to exercise agile and flexible relationships with industry and other S&T; performers, and to provide the department with an in-house academic research capability.

[ Previous | Table of Contents | Next ]