Two Canadian innovation organizations just decided that solving Canada's toughest defence problems means picking up the phone and calling each other more often.

Strix and DIGITAL have signed a memorandum of understanding, and while MOUs can sometimes be corporate handshakes that go nowhere, this one comes with an actual webinar on the calendar and two organizations who seem genuinely eager to start sharing contacts.

The agreement itself is light on legalese and heavy on intent: both sides are committing to open up their networks to each other, betting that closer ties between aerospace, defence, and digital technology players will produce results that neither ecosystem could manage alone. No new funding changes hands: this is about who talks to whom, not who writes cheques.

The logic is straightforward. Canada's hardest aerospace, defence, and national security problems don't respect sector boundaries, and Strix and DIGITAL are wagering that the fastest way to move sustainable and dual-use technologies from idea to impact is to stop working in parallel and start working together, for the sake of the economy, national security, and Canadian sovereignty alike.

Vanguard's Steve Ladurantaye spoke separately with Denis Godin, CTO and Deputy CEO of Strix, and Nadia Shaikh-Naeem, chief program officer of DIGITAL, to dig into what the partnership means.

Could you walk me through what your organization does and where it fits in the ecosystem?

Godin: We're a not-for-profit created in 2023 dedicated to Aerospace and Defence innovation.. Our main objective was delivering a federally funded program called the Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technologies(INSAT), part of what was then the Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) and is now the Strategic Response Fund. It's still our flagship program.

Shaikh-Naeem: We were established in 2018 as part of what was then the Innovation Superclusters Initiative, later renamed the Global Innovation Clusters. It's a federal program designed to build the industrial base in key value chain sectors.

What changes on the ground because of this MOU?

Godin: This creates a strong early linkage between the two ecosystems. Strix is aerospace-focused, and since aerospace and defense are pretty much intertwined, we bring that community forward. DIGITAL brings the enabling technologies defense companies need: cybersecurity, digital tools. The immediate benefit is that by working together, we're creating linkages that most likely wouldn't have happened without this facilitation.

Shaikh-Naeem: For us, the MOU is about making those connections. A big part of dual-use is that we're developing solutions that are civilian-ready, but are they military-ready? We want to create that pathway for our project partners and members to leverage Strix's network, R&D and expertise.

How does this help companies sell into the Canadian government faster?

Godin: As the Defence Industrial Strategy makes clear, building in Canada means getting the right people working together. Opening doors, raising awareness, working together: that's the key, because nobody can do it alone. DIGITAL is focused on commercialization and bringing products to market, and we know a lot of defense contractors and other companies. That synergy should get companies to commercialization faster.

Shaikh-Naeem: A partnership like this is valuable because sales into the defense sector, especially for smaller SMEs validating new technologies, take a long time. Civilian markets provide a fallback that helps them manage cash flow while they evolve their solution to be defense-appropriate. That can take years, even with the right relationships.

How are you going to measure success?

Godin: There are a few indicators: the technologies developed through these new partnerships, and whether they reach commercialization and strengthen Canada's capabilities. It's about establishing partnerships, following through, and getting adoption. It's a long road, but early positioning is key.

Shaikh-Naeem: For us, success within dual-use comes down to the connections we're able to make.

What kinds of dual-use technologies are you targeting first?

Godin: There's a lot of drone development happening on the civilian side for transportation, including reaching remote areas in the north: autonomous drones, beyond-line-of-sight systems that aren't GPS- or navigation-dependent. All of that is good for Canadian remoteness, but it can turn into a defense application easily.

Shaikh-Naeem: What we've found is that the paradigm has shifted. It used to be defense pushing technologies down to civilian markets; now it's the private sector developing technologies the defense sector wants. We're looking at broad-use technologies with defense applications that are currently built more for civilian markets.

What do the next six to twelve months look like, and how do you avoid this just being another MOU announcement?

Godin: We're thinking face-to-face events, matchmaking. It's fresh, but we won't be short of ideas. I'd like to see our pipeline grow in the next few months, with companies joining forces with the aerospace companies we typically see in our portfolio, and helping them grow.

Shaikh-Naeem: What got us excited is that we both understand this is a big, complex space, and no one organization figures it out alone. Everybody wants to rise to the occasion on the Defence Industrial Strategy, but navigating the space is still a challenge. We're hoping to make that easier for the private sector.

The Defence Industrial Strategy released in February 2026, marks a real shift in how Canada will “build, buy, and partner” to strengthen national security, sovereignty, and domestic capacity. To help meet this need, DIGITAL launched a webinar series as a free, practical guide to entering Canada's defence market, built specifically for Canadian innovators. Through these webinars, DIGITAL is highlighting how dual-use innovators can enter the Canadian market and how technology should be positioned to show value for buyers, including the federal government. Strix is co-hosting the third webinar “Inside the Prime Ecosystem: Building Relationships, ITB Pathways, and Canadian Content Window” on August 20.”