UCalgary selected by Government of Canada to lead nation’s first Quantum Defence Innovation Secure Hub

On Aug. 6, the Hon. David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence, announced an investment of more than $20.3 million over two years to support a University of Calgary-led consortium in establishing the Quantum Defence Innovation Secure Hub (DISH), a flagship Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Innovation and Science (BOREALIS), to be operated by UCalgary’s Quantum City.

"Quantum will shape the next generation of defence capabilities, and Canada must be prepared to lead—not follow. Through the Quantum Defence Innovation Secure Hub, we're bringing together Canadian researchers, innovators, industry, and government to accelerate Made-in-Canada quantum technologies into mission-ready capabilities that strengthen the operational advantage of the Canadian Armed Forces while growing Canada's sovereign defence industrial base," says Hon. McGuinty.

‘Transformational investment’ builds on UCalgary’s legacy of excellence in defence and security-related fields

DISHs are secure, mission-oriented hubs established to enable collaboration between government, industry, academia, the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), and national security partners in support of Canada’s defence and national security priorities. They are intended to address a persistent gap in the defence innovation ecosystem by helping innovators overcome barriers to engaging with defence organizations. DISHs provide trusted environments, infrastructure, and services that support the design, testing, validation, and transition of advanced technologies toward operational use.

By connecting operational users directly with researchers, innovators, and industry partners, the Quantum DISH will help translate quantum advances into operational advantage for the CAF while strengthening Canada's sovereign quantum technology capacity.

"We thank the Government of Canada for this transformational investment at the University of Calgary and Quantum City. UCalgary has a long history of excellence in strategic studies, military scholarship, and applied research in defence and security-related fields,” says Dr. Ed McCauley, PhD, UCalgary president and vice-chancellor. 

“The Quantum DISH is the next step in this journey of discovery that will build upon UCalgary’s strength in quantum computing, sensing, and communications. The consortium of post-secondary and industry partners that will innovate in this new facility is truly world class, and we look forward to working alongside the Government of Canada to translate quantum technologies into real-world solutions that will strengthen Canada’s sovereignty.”

Consortium of 13 organizations will harness the power of collaboration

The consortium brings together 13 organizations from Canada’s quantum, defence, and innovation sectors, including Lockheed Martin Canada, General Dynamics Mission Systems Canada, CAE, Dell Canada, and Calian. The consortium is further bolstered by academic partners the University of Saskatchewan, University of Alberta, and University of Lethbridge. Through the hub, participants will collaborate in a secure environment to accelerate the transition of promising Canadian quantum technologies from research and development into deployable capabilities that support Canada's defence and security priorities.

“Quantum City is uniquely positioned to build the cross-sector partnerships needed to advance quantum technologies for defence,” explains Dr. Megan Lee, PhD, managing director for Quantum City. “By connecting defence stakeholders with researchers, innovators and industry leaders, the Quantum Defence Innovation Secure Hub will accelerate the development and deployment of quantum solutions to strengthen Canada's defence and national security capabilities.”

Unique to the Quantum DISH is the cross-province collaboration between Alberta- and Saskatchewan-based universities. “By connecting the strengths of Alberta and Saskatchewan, this investment builds a Prairie quantum ecosystem that is uniquely positioned to serve Canada,” says Dr. Vince Bruni-Bossio, PhD, president of the University of Saskatchewan. 

“The University of Saskatchewan's expertise in quantum applications, supported by the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO), the Canadian Light Source (CLS), the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation, and Centre for Quantum Topology and Its Applications (quanTA), gives our region the ability to translate quantum science into real‑world impact. This is Prairie connectivity at its best — working together locally to bring our expertise to the world.”

Advancing quantum technology for real-world applications with industry partners

The Quantum DISH will focus on advancing quantum-enabled sensing, communications, computation, and hardware assurance capabilities. These technologies have the potential to enhance situational awareness, improve operational effectiveness, strengthen secure communications, reduce vulnerabilities such as GPS spoofing, and help maintain Canada's technological advantage in an increasingly competitive global environment. The aim is to deliver validated prototypes to the CAF and Communications Security Establishment (CSE) within two years.

“We’re incredibly proud to be a supporting partner of Canada’s Quantum Defence Innovation Secure Hub, helping accelerate the transition of quantum R&D into field-ready capabilities for our Canadian Armed Forces,” says Kristen Leroux, vice-president and regional executive, Lockheed Martin Canada and Latin America. “By combining enterprise‑level engineering rigour with the speed of innovation, our Lockheed Martin Canada team is ready and energized to collaborate with our DISH partners, empowering delivery of high-impact quantum technology from the lab to the field.”

“DISHs are intended to provide secure, mission-oriented environments where government, industry, and academia can collaborate over time to advance technologies beyond early development and toward defence and security applications,” explains Dr. Erika Janitz, PhD, an assistant professor in the Schulich School of Engineering, a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Quantum Hardware Engineering. “Being able to take research out of the lab and into an environment where there is a direct line to the end user and understanding the limitations, needs, and constraints of real-world technologies is very exciting.”