Closed
Source verified August 7, 2026
IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security
AI compliance for multi-sensor defence fusion
Latest source updateLast Update: July 4, 2026Latest change: The Sentinel shield challenge page now shows the application window as March 24 to June 25, 2026 and indicates the challenge is closed.View change
Latest source update
Last Update: July 4, 2026
Latest change: The Sentinel shield challenge page now shows the application window as March 24 to June 25, 2026 and indicates the challenge is closed.
IDEaS challenge deadline updated
The Sentinel shield challenge page for wide-area detection against uncrewed aerial systems now shows the application window as March 24 to June 25, 2026 and indicates that the challenge is closed. Funding and scope details remain unchanged, but the updated status materially affects whether applicants can still submit proposals and should be treated as a major timeline update for this challenge page.
Funding available
$ 6,750,000
Deadline
Closed
Location
Canada
Who can apply
Individuals, academia, not-for-profit organizations, provincial/territorial or municipal government organizations, and all industry.
See full eligibility
Overview
Reliable AI sensor fusion for real world missions offers non-repayable contribution funding of up to $250,000, $1.5 million, or $5 million depending on Technology Readiness Level for individuals, academia, not-for-profit organizations, provincial/territorial or municipal government organizations, and industry. It supports AI solutions that embed compliance-by-design in multi-sensor fusion workflows and modular compliance tools.
Find open grants for your business
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At a glance
Funding available
Financing goals
- Conduct research and development activities
Eligible Funding
- Maximum amount : 6,750,000 $
Funds Providers
Eligible candidates
Eligible Industries
- All industries
Location
- Canada
Legal structures
- For-profit business
Annual revenue
- All revenue ranges
Organisation size
- All organization sizes
Audience
- Canadians
Next Steps
1
Determine your project
2
Validate your eligibility
Activities funded
- Research on hypersonic technologies for defence and security applications, including propulsion, flight dynamics, guidance, navigation and control, detection, materials, modelling and simulation, ground testing, flight testing, and design and integration of hypersonic vehicles.
Documents Needed
- Proposal form
- Applicant guide
- Company one-pager
- Test plan template
Official resources
Program guide
Application form
Eligibility
Who is eligible?
- Individuals, academia, not-for-profit organizations, provincial/territorial or municipal government organizations, and all industry.
Who is not eligible
- Federal and provincial crown corporations are not eligible for funding.
Eligible expenses
There are eligible expenses for the Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security (IDEaS) program:
- Research and development costs
- Prototyping and testing expenses
- Technology demonstration costs
- Networking and collaboration expenses
- Travel costs related to project implementation
Eligible geographic areas
- Canada
Selection criteria
- Proposals must be selected for the next round of the contest to proceed.
- For Round 2, innovators are invited to Round 3 of the Contest: Prototype development.
How to apply
- IDEaS is transitioning to a new Portal to receive submissions from the innovator community for this challenge.
- To apply, consult the Solicitation Guide available on CanadaBuys.
Processing and Agreement
- Applications are reviewed against the challenge or contest requirements.
- Some programs use a stage-gated evaluation and selection process.
- Successful applicants may be invited to later rounds, demonstrations, or pitch events.
- Funding agreements are issued before financial support is provided.
Additional information
- DND/CAF will not provide any data (classified, unclassified, operational, synthetic, or representative) for use in training, fine-tuning, or validating AI models.
- Participation in this challenge assumes that innovators possess sufficient sensor-domain expertise to independently generate or obtain appropriate datasets for model development and testing.
Contacts
Other components of this program
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Frequently Asked Questions about the IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security Program
What is the IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security?
Reliable AI sensor fusion for real world missions offers non-repayable contribution funding of up to $250,000, $1.5 million, or $5 million depending on Technology Readiness Level for individuals, academia, not-for-profit organizations, provincial/territorial or municipal government organizations, and industry. It supports AI solutions that embed compliance-by-design in multi-sensor fusion workflows and modular compliance tools.
How much funding can be received?
IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security Funds up to $6,750,000 of admissible expenses.
Who is eligible for the IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program?
To be eligible for the IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program, you must:
Individuals, academia, not-for-profit organizations, provincial/territorial or municipal government organizations, and all industry can apply.
What expenses are eligible under IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security?
Research on hypersonic technologies for defence and security applications, including propulsion, flight dynamics, guidance, navigation and control, detection, materials, modelling and simulation, ground testing, flight testing, and design and integration of hypersonic vehicles.
Who can I contact for more information about the IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security?
You can contact Department of National Defence (DND) by email at DND.IDEaS-IDEeS.MDN@forces.gc.ca.
Where is the IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security available?
The IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program is available across Canada.
Is the IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security a grant, loan, or tax credit?
IDEaS - Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security is a Grant and Funding