Bridging The Workforce Gap & Forging Ahead

Memorandum of Understanding connects Canadian innovators with specialized testing facilities and pathways to defence procurement

Friday, July 17, 2026 By Jodi Cooke

The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Vimy Forge, Canada’s national defence and security innovation accelerator, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding focused on accelerating the adoption of Canadian innovation.

It was the latest in a series of collaborative approaches made during the 2026 Maritime & Arctic Security & 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 (TRLs) and move the technologies closer to operational adoption.”

Dr. Paul Brett: Interim Deputy Provost (Marine Institute) and Executive Director of Professional and Continuing Education and Duncan McSporran, Managing Director, Vimy Forge

Granting Access to World Class Facilities

This 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. Through this partnership, these enterprises aim to benefit from greater access to talent, skills development opportunities, and support in navigating complex defence sector procurement and business growth pathways.

“The Launch, Marine Institute brings world class research and testing facilities,” says Duncan McSporran, Managing Director, Vimy Ridge. “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 small to medium 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.

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