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Partnerships Drive Canadian Sovereignty
Partnerships Drive Canadian Sovereignty
Partnerships Drive Canadian Sovereignty
As Canada considers a major investment in new Navy submarines, Western is partnering with the world’s largest non‑nuclear submarine builder to advance defence research and strengthen Canadian sovereignty.
In 2025, the university signed a memorandum of understanding with TKMS, affirming its commitment to international and private-sector partnerships that support innovative, made-in-Canada solutions and positioning Western as a core academic partner in TKMS’s newly launched Canadian Defence and Dual-Use Innovation Ecosystem.
The national initiative, linking universities, Indigenous businesses and industry partners in Canada, Germany and Norway, is designed to strengthen Canada’s ability to translate advanced research into deployable defence capabilities and scalable civilian applications.
“Canada is taking steps to strengthen its sovereignty, and universities have a significant role to play,” said Western President Alan Shepard. “With leading research in autonomous systems, secure communications, AI and more, Western is ready to help move that work forward.”
The partnership will accelerate technology in areas aligned with Canada’s priorities, including Arctic research, maritime capability, clean technologies, AI, autonomous systems and multi-domain operations, which link activities across land, sea, air, space and cyberspace. It will also help translate research into real-world applications.
This ability to move discoveries to market is supported by Western’s Strategic Partnerships team, which serves as the primary contact for industry and communities interested in developing research partnerships. The team, which benefits from vital salary support from the Research Support Fund (RSF), established and nurtured both the connection and eventual agreement with TKMS this year.
The collaboration is designed to help strengthen Canada’s defence and dual‑use innovation ecosystem. Western researchers have expertise in a wide variety of “dual use” technologies, which can serve both civilian and military purposes.
As work with TKMS progresses, RSF funds will also be used to ensure regulatory requirements are met and that intellectual property is protected and commercialized.
“Our new partnership with TKMS will help boost Canadian sovereignty and security by growing domestic talent and capacity in this space. It also creates exciting opportunities for our researchers in engineering, science and other disciplines to develop innovative technologies and advance projects that matter for Canada’s future,” said Penny Pexman, Western’s Vice-President (Research).