The Marine Institute and Vimy Forge, Canada’s national defence and security innovation accelerator, have signed a memorandum of understanding focused on accelerating Canadian innovation. 

It was the latest in a series of collaborations made during the 2026 Maritime and Arctic Security and Safety Conference, an annual defence event facilitated by the Atlantic Canada Aerospace and Defence Association.

The partnership connects the Marine Institute’s expertise in ocean technology and its testing capabilities at the Launch with Vimy Forge’s network of small- and medium-sized businesses operating within Canada’s defence and security ecosystem.

The partnership aims to strengthen Canada’s defence workforce – now and in the future. 

“Collaboration is fundamental to accelerating technology and building sovereign capabilities,” said Maria Halfyard, manager of business development, Marine Institute. “By connecting innovators with the Marine Institute’s testing facilities and expertise, we can help Canadian businesses transition through the technology readiness levels and move the technologies closer to operational adoption.”

Granting access to world-class facilities

The agreement brings together the Marine Institute’s expertise in education, leadership, training and workforce development with the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses operating within Canada’s defence and security ecosystem.

The enterprises aim to benefit from greater access to talent, skills development opportunities, and support navigating complex defence sector procurement and business growth pathways. 

“The Launch and the Marine Institute bring world-class research and testing facilities,” said Duncan McSporran, managing director, Vimy Forge. “One of the things people forget is the need to actually test capability before it gets to the end user and to do it in an effective way with a trusted partner. Everybody in the maritime and the marine sector knows the Fisheries and Marine Institute and its reputation. We will create easy-to-navigate pathways for businesses to get into those facilities.”  

Together, the Marine Institute and Vimy Forge will help bridge critical technology adoption gaps, connecting Canadian innovators with the expertise, infrastructure and opportunities they need to test, evaluate, validate and demonstrate their products. 

Read more about the partnership and the memorandum of understanding.