Canada’s NRC IRAP says defence and dual-use technology investments exceed C$135 million
The National Research Council of Canada said its Defence Industry Assist initiative has supported 860 small and medium-sized businesses since its January 2026 launch.
Event / data period:
Published: · Updated:
On 14 October, the National Research Council of Canada said Defence Industry Assist (DI Assist) had invested more than C$135 million in defence and dual-use technologies since the initiative launched in January 2026. The council said it had supported 860 Canadian businesses, enabled more than 540 innovation projects and supported over 2,300 jobs.
The program supports work in cybersecurity, communications infrastructure, maritime and underwater systems, aerospace, drones and space. The figures are cumulative outputs reported by the government, not an independent evaluation or measurement of economic impact. They summarize activity across several fields rather than spending in any one technology area.
Data
NRC Defence Industry Assist program
Program support for defence and dual-use technology businesses
- · Occurred
NRC Defence Industry Assist program
NRC programme-outcomes release dated 14 October 2026.
Methodology
Figures are cumulative program activity reported by NRC since DI Assist launched in January 2026.
Updated:
NRC DI Assist: reported cumulative program outputs
Investment, business and employment figures reported by NRC since the January 2026 launch.
| Cumulative investment since January 2026; lower bound | 135000000 | - | - | - |
| Businesses supported since January 2026 | - | 860 | - | - |
| Innovation projects enabled; lower bound | - | - | 540 | - |
| Jobs supported; lower bound | - | - | - | 2300 |
Methodology
C$135,000,000 is a lower bound (“more than C$135 million”). Project and job counts described as “more than” are also shown as thresholds, not exact totals. These are government-reported cumulative program outputs, not an independent impact evaluation.
Updated:
Subjects and places
Subject proposals
- Small and medium enterpriseSuggested
- Subject suggested from the title or summary: small and medium-sized businesseswww.canada.ca ↗
- Science and technologySuggested
- Subject suggested from the title or summary: technologywww.canada.ca ↗
Geographic references
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- Canada · Place role: Coverage · Place type: Country or area · Location precision: RegionalEvidence
- Explicit preserved editorial country/region; no city or national centroid inferredwww.canada.ca ↗