We are seeking pre-commercial innovative prototypes that can enhance the Government of Canada operational awareness, and response capacity through resilient, interoperable capabilities that enable sensing, communications, and effective action in remote, austere, maritime, and Arctic/coastal environments.
Funding opportunity sponsor:
Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC)
Funding mechanism:
Contract
Opening date:
May 27, 2026
Closing date:
June 17, 2026, 14:00 Eastern Time
Before submitting a proposal, please read the following solicitation documents.
Overview
The Testing Stream aims to procure, test and evaluate innovative late stage pre-commercial prototypes.
The purpose of these solicitation of offers (SoOs) is to create pools of conditionally qualified innovations that Canada may select from to address a broad range of the Government of Canada organizations' requirements.
Contracts under this call for proposals can be awarded up to $2,300,000 CAD
If you meet the eligibility criteria and have a prototype that can respond to one of the problems below, apply now!
Problem statements
Docked remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) and remote operations enablement (short range and extended range)
Traditional RPAS solutions are often constrained by manual deployment requirements, limited endurance in harsh climates, and insufficient validation for persistent or remote operations. Traditional RPAS deployments rely on manual launch and recovery, local pilot presence, and limited persistence, which restrict responsiveness and scalability. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is interested in testing docked RPAS systems that can autonomously launch, recover, recharge, and remain on standby at RCMP facilities or onboard mobile assets.
Government security and law enforcement organizations, including the RCMP, require RPAS capabilities that can safely operate in remote locations and under challenging environmental conditions.
Definition
Remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS):
Refers to a system consisting of a remotely piloted aircraft (commonly known as a drone), its control station, and all associated equipment necessary for safe operation.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one of the following outcomes to fulfill the requirements of the Screening criteria 4 (SC4) evaluation grid:
- Solutions that can enable autonomous landing and launch from fixed or moving docks; or
- Solutions that can establish secure remote operation or supervisory control of RPAS assets from centralized locations.
Arctic and coastal RPAS
The operations of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Department of National Defence (DND), Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in northern and Arctic regions face extreme cold, icing, humidity, reduced visibility, and limited infrastructure. Many RPAS systems experience degraded performance or reduced availability under these conditions, limiting their effectiveness for search and rescue, surveillance, transportation, and public safety missions.
RCMP and the CAF are interested in testing autonomous, remotely piloted, and modular multi-domain solutions specifically designed or adapted for prolonged coastal or cold weather operations.
Definitions
Arctic operations:
Sustained performance at temperatures down to -25°C.
Coastal operations:
Sustained performance at temperatures down to -10°C with at least 48 hours of saltwater exposure.
Multi-domain systems:
Systems that are designed to operate across multiple domains or environments, including space, aerial, ground-based, underground or underwater. The term "multi-domain" indicates that these systems are not limited to a single type of environment or application; instead, they can function effectively in a variety of environments.
RPAS:
Refers to a system consisting of a remotely piloted aircraft (commonly known as a drone), its control station, and all associated equipment necessary for safe operation.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one or more of the following outcomes to fulfill the requirements of the 4 Screening Criteria evaluation grids:
- RPAS solutions that incorporate one of the following technologies to improve cold weather operations in arctic conditions:
- 4a. Integrated de-icing solutions for airframes, propulsion systems, or sensors;
4b. Humidity and condensation control to protect avionics and payloads;
4c. Cold-weather endurance and rapid redeployment capability; or
4d. Integrated camera payloads (e.g., electro-optical, infrared, low-light) optimized for high visibility and search and rescue applications.
- 4a. Integrated de-icing solutions for airframes, propulsion systems, or sensors;
- Autonomous or remotely operated surface and underwater platforms as well as modular, multi-domain systems that integrate aerial, ground, or marine capabilities that can support complex Arctic or coastal missions, including personnel and equipment transport as well as environmental or operational monitoring, under Arctic and coastal conditions.
Range RPAS for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) operations
The operations of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Department of National Defence (DND), including the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), increasingly rely on timely and accurate intelligence to support border security, situational awareness, and time‑sensitive public safety and defence missions. Many existing RPAS solutions are constrained by limited range, endurance, communications resilience, or system integration, reducing their effectiveness for sustained ISR in remote, sparsely populated, or austere environments.
The RCMP and CAF are interested in testing integrated, extended‑range RPAS solutions capable of delivering persistent ISR within the current Canadian regulatory and security framework. Testing will focus on validating end‑to‑end system integration, communications reliability, mission endurance, and ISR effectiveness during extended‑range operations in representative RCMP and DND use cases.
Definitions
Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS):
Refers to drone operations where the pilot cannot see the aircraft with their own eyes, enabling long-range, efficient missions, such as inspections or surveillance.
Extended-range:
RPAS solutions must be capable of performing missions and operating continuously for a period of least at four (4) hours.
Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR):
The coordinated acquisition and analysis of information to support military and policing operations and decision-making.
RPAS:
Refers to a system consisting of a remotely piloted aircraft (commonly known as a drone), its control station, and all associated equipment necessary for safe operation.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one or more of the following outcomes to fulfill the requirements of the 4 Screening Criteria evaluation grids:
- Extended-range RPAS innovations that can address one of the following use-cases:
- 6a. Demonstrate secure remote operation from fixed facilities or mobile command posts;
6b. Integrate aircraft, payloads, software, and supporting equipment to perform ISR missions;
6c. Perform extended range and BVLOS operations enabled by satellite communications (SATCOM) and/or space-to-5G/LTE communications.
- 6a. Demonstrate secure remote operation from fixed facilities or mobile command posts;
ISC will not accept any of the following:
- Solutions that cannot uplink with SATCOM.
- Solutions that cannot operate meeting the definition of "extended-range".
Automated ship building and maintenance
Ship building and maintenance are important for providing and upkeeping naval and coast guard vessels. Processes like hull inspection, surface cleaning, and welding have certain challenges associated with confined spaces and other hard-to-reach areas. Through the incorporation of robotics and automation abilities to these processes, the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) can increase repair time efficiency and increase the safety of work within these areas.
The RCN and CCG are seeking solutions to innovate current ship building and maintenance processes through automated systems.
Definitions
Cold spray:
A form of additive manufacturing that uses pressurized gas to propel metal powder onto a surface without the use of high temperatures.
Confined spaces:
An enclosed or partially enclosed area that is not designed for continuous human occupancy and may present hazards to workers due to its configuration, contents, or atmosphere.
Hard-to-reach spaces:
Areas where access is limited due to elevation, obstructions, or fixed infrastructure, requiring special access methods, tools, or techniques to safely perform work.
High velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF):
A form of thermal spray that uses oxygen with heat and pressure to shoot melted metal powder onto a surface.
Plasma transferred wire arc (PTWA):
A form of thermal spray that uses plasma to heat wire that attaches to a substrate via an air stream.
Laser metal deposition:
An additive manufacturing process which uses light to melt a substrate while feeding metal powder or wire onto the heated area.
Laser ablation:
The process of using light to evaporate the outermost layer of a substrate, usually for the purpose of surface cleaning or rust removal.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one or more of the following outcomes to fulfill the requirements of the 4 Screening criteria evaluation grids:
- Customizable shipbuilding and maintenance technologies to be configured for a robotic payload to perform hull inspection, welding and surface cleaning in confined spaces and other hard-to-reach areas. Relevant technologies include:
- 7a. Solutions that are time efficient, reduce the need for physical inspections, and increase the visibility of sub-coating imperfections;
7b. Hull survey and inspection solutions, including rolling magnetic crawlers, that can improve underwater hull inspections by providing positive positional reference on the hull, fast repeatable ultrasonic thickness measurements, and high-resolution close-up imaging;
7c. Technologies that can improve surface preparation capability for coating removal, rust removal, and cleaning through the application of laser ablation or water‑jet technologies, increasing consistency and readiness of ship structures and components for build and maintenance activities;
7d. Technologies that can perform enhanced surface‑engineering and coating deposition capability using additive manufacturing technologies such as cold spray, HVOF, plasma wire arc, or laser metal deposition to fabricate, restore, protect from corrosion, and extend the service life of naval components, or;
7e. Improved welding solutions that increase weld quality, repeatability, and reliability for both new ship construction and in-service maintenance and repair.
- 7a. Solutions that are time efficient, reduce the need for physical inspections, and increase the visibility of sub-coating imperfections;
- Piping material and piping connection solutions that leverage mechanically attached fitting or glass re-enforced epoxy technologies to prevent leaks. Solutions must address metallurgical compatibility challenges and comply with all applicable regulatory requirements for international voyage, with particular interest in use cases within machinery spaces, or;
- Robotics technologies that operate in confined spaces and other hard-to-reach areas, have the capacity to incorporate the ship building and maintenance technologies listed above (1a-1e), and include automated features.
Multi-function radio frequency (MFRF):
Multi-Function RF (MFRF) systems—using shared active electronically scanned array (AESA) apertures and common electronics—offer the ability to consolidate these functions, reduce antenna count and apertures, reduce topside clutter, lower electromagnetic interference, and enhance multi-mission performance.
Additionally, the absence of consolidated apertures increases ship radar cross-section and contributes to greater installation and maintenance burdens due to the number of discrete antennas. Without such integrated capability, ships face increased hardware complexity, higher lifecycle costs, and limitations in operational efficiency.
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is interested in testing approaches to managing radar, communications, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence functions, which currently rely on multiple independent antennas and hardware systems.
Definitions
Electromagnetic interference (EMI):
Unwanted noise that appears in electromagnetic waves, including radio waves. EMI can be natural or manmade and can disrupt the transfer of information through RCS.
Multi-function radio frequency (MFRF):
The consolidation of singular radio systems (radar, communication, etc.) into a single hardware platform.
Radar cross-section (RCS):
The area of an object that is detected by radar, and a direct measurement of how detectable an object is via radar systems.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one or more of the following outcomes to fulfill the requirements of the 4 Screening criteria evaluation grids:
- Solutions that can provide integrated radio-frequency capability that combine radar, communications, electronic warfare (attack/support), and signals intelligence into shared AESA apertures and common electronics through multiplexing or other techniques to dynamically allocate system capacity.
Underwater communications
The Department of National Defence (DND), Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) is interested in testing a reliable, secure, and tactically viable method of communicating with submarines while submerged.
Definitions
JANUS:
JANUS, a simple multiple-access acoustic protocol designed and tested by the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation over the past 6 years that provides a basic and robust tool for collaborative underwater communication.
PHORCYS:
A set of protocols designed to provide secure underwater communication. PHORCYS establishes a multi-band, multi-mode waveform designed to be secure, flexible, and extensible underwater.
Underwater:
To be fully submerged beneath the surface of water.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one or more of the following outcomes to fulfill the requirements of the 4 Screening criteria evaluation grids:
- Interoperable underwater communications architecture leveraging JANUS (STANAG 4748) for discovery and coordination, with PHORCYS‑aligned secure waveforms providing protected tactical data exchange where mission security requires. Solutions should be capable of interfacing with STANAG 1481 (Identification of Friendly Submarines) and STANAG 1390 (Submarine Search and Rescue communications protocols).
Uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) solutions to improve ranging capabilities
The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) is interested in testing solutions that can provide a reliable method to leverage Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) to simulate and stimulate shipboard sensors and effectors—particularly electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) and laser-based systems—to support calibration, alignment, and performance measurement. Current approaches are limited, inconsistent, and unable to replicate realistic maritime conditions or provide the necessary data fidelity. This gap reduces confidence in sensor readiness, slows verification after maintenance, and limits the RCN's ability to conduct repeatable, instrumented testing across operational environments.
Definitions
Electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR):
The combination of imaging systems within the visible light and infra-red frequencies. EO/IR can be used for accurate situational awareness and target tracking in both high and low visibility environments.
Laser-based systems:
The application of laser technology for capabilities such as target designation, blinding of enemy camera systems, or negate the use of enemy laser systems.
Outcomes
Innovations must meet at least one or more of the following outcomes to fulfill the requirements of the 4 Screening criteria evaluation grids:
- A UAS‑based capability that provides controlled EO/IR and laser signatures for ship sensor testing;
- Technologies that can provide repeatable calibration and alignment methods for EO/IR and laser systems; or
- UAS‑based EO/IR and laser technologies that can perform operations at sea.
Eligibility and evaluation
Certifications
Canadian offeror
The offeror must be a Canadian offeror. A Canadian offeror is defined as a Canadian person or entity submitting an offer on its own behalf and having a place of business in Canada where the person or entity conducts activities on a permanent basis that is clearly identified by name and accessible during normal working hours.
Canadian content
At least 80% of the financial proposal costs, the total proposal price to Canada stated in "Section G – Financial Proposal," must be Canadian goods or Canadian services. For the complete definition of 'Canadian goods' and 'Canadian services,' please refer to Annex Solicitation of Offers Definitions of the solicitation number EN578-26ISC1 on the Canada Buys Website.
Note: Canadian content compliance will also be verified and confirmed during contract negotiations.
Ownership
The offeror must be the owner of the Intellectual Property (IP) for the proposed innovation or hold a valid exclusive licence for the IP rights from a Canadian licensor for the proposed innovation. The offeror must also ensure that the proposed innovation does not infringe on any existing IP rights.
Pre-commercial status
The proposed innovation must not be openly available in the marketplace and must not have been previously sold on a commercial basis as of the date of the submission of the offer. Refer to the definitions of pre-commercial innovation and commercial sales at Annex Contract Definitions of the solicitation number EN578-26ISC1 on the Canada Buys website.
Note: Pre-commercial status can include the significant modification of an existing technology or processes applied in a government setting for which current applications are not possible or feasible.
Offeror presence in Canada
The offeror must meet the following minimum requirements:
- 50% or more of the offeror's Full Time Equivalent employees must have Canada as their ordinary place of work;
- 50% or more of the offeror's annual wages, salaries and fees must be paid to employees and contractors who spend the majority of their time working in Canada;
- and 50% or more of the offeror's senior executives (Vice President and above) must have their principal residence in Canada.
These calculations must take into account affiliated businesses, such as parent companies and subsidiaries that are either in or outside of Canada.
Stage 1 - Mandatory technical criteria (MC)
MC1: Previously conditionally qualified innovation
The proposed innovation or any other versions of the proposed innovation must not have been previously awarded a contract under the Build in Canada Innovation Program(BCIP) or its predecessor, the Canadian Innovation Commercialization Program (CICP) , nor under the Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) Testing Stream.
The proposed innovation or any other versions of the proposed innovation must not currently be active in a pool of conditionally qualified innovations. A proposed innovation that is currently active in a pool will be considered only if the offer validity period for that offer has expired or the offeror has withdrawn their innovation from the relevant pool, prior to the solicitation closing date and time.
Offerors are limited to submit only one (1) offer per Problem Statement. If the proposed innovation is similar or identical to an innovation previously submitted by the offeror that is currently active in a pool and has not been withdrawn prior to solicitation closing, the following assessment will be used to determine sufficient difference to proceed.
| Pass |
Sufficiently different
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Fail |
Not sufficiently different
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Stage 2 – Screening criteria (SC)
SC1: Innovation
The offeror must demonstrate that the proposed innovation aligns with Innovative Solutions Canada (ISC) definition of innovation.
The proposed innovation must meet one or more of the ISC definitions of innovation below:
- An inventionFootnote 1, new technology or new process that is not currently available in the marketplace.
- Significant modifications to the application of existing technologies/components/processes that are applied in a setting or condition for which current applications are not possible or feasible, including government applications.
- An improvement in functionality, cost or performance over an existing technology/process that is considered state-of-the-art or the current industry best practice.
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Pass |
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Fail |
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SC2: Operational readiness validation
The offeror must demonstrate that, at the time of offer submission, the proposed innovation is feasibly ready for testing in an operational environment. In other words, the proposed innovation should be at TRL 7 or above according to the ISC TRL scale
Technology Readiness Level Scale (TRL 7 definition: Prototype system ready (form, fit, and function) for testing in an appropriate operational environment).
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Pass |
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Fail |
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SC3: Risks considerations
The offeror must demonstrate that they have obtained or possess, at the time of offer submission, the certifications, the licences, and approvals required to safely deploy the proposed innovation, and that it poses no risks to individuals or the potential test partner involved in an operational test.
This is to ensure that the potential test partner is not exposed to safety or privacy risks during the conduct of the operational test.
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Pass |
At the time of offer submission:
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Fail |
At the time of offer submission:
The mitigation strategies are inadequate, and significant risks remain to the test partner during the operational test. |
SC4: Scope – outcomes
The offeror must demonstrate that the proposed innovation provides a solution to the problem statement and meets one or more of the outcomes selected by the offeror.
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Pass |
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Fail |
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Stage 3 – Point-rated screening criteria (PS)
PS1: Advance on state of the art
The offeror must demonstrate that the proposed innovation improves upon current approaches and state of the art, or current practices relevant to its purpose or application, in a manner that yields competitive advantages.
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2 points |
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12 points |
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24 points minimum |
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40 points |
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PS2: Intellectual Property (IP) Strategy
The offeror must demonstrate a suitable Intellectual Property (IP) strategy, relevant to protect IP generated by the proposed innovation and to protect the offeror. This criterion also assesses the degree to which the strategy is appropriate to support successful commercialization.
| 0 points |
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8 points minimum |
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12 points |
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Stage 4 – Point-rated criteria (PR)
PR1: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Benefits
This criterion is intended to assess the degree to which the offeror has sufficient measures to effectively achieve and maintain diversity, inclusivity and gender equity within; their business, supply chain, or business ecosystem.
Score levels reflect the number of the following elements the offeror addressed in their answer:
- anti-discrimination policies
- recruitment strategy and hiring process
- training available to educate the offeror's workforce on diversity and inclusion
- how diversity and inclusion are factored into offeror's supplier selection methods
| 0 points |
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4 points |
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8 points |
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12 points |
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PR 2: Commercialization strategy
This criterion is intended for the offeror to demonstrate that they have a credible strategy to commercialize the proposed innovation.
| 0 points |
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8 points |
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32 points |
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In order to conditionally-qualify an offer must score a minimum of 60 points out of 96 points as a sum of all points from Stage 3 and Stage 4 criteria.
Pathway to commercialization (PTC)
Enabling the Government of Canada to buy what it tries – a Pathway to Commercialization (PTC) for eligible Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
Our new pilot project gives SMEs the opportunity to sell your innovation directly to the Government of Canada.
Through the PTC under ISC's Testing Stream, eligible SMEs can receive commercial contracts based on the successful testing and market-readiness of your pre-commercial prototype. It is important to note that this pathway will only be available to eligible Canadian SMEs, which represent over 97% of all businesses in Canada, a percentage that mirrors past participation in the program.
How will it work?
Once your initial ISC testing contract is completed, you may be eligible for PTC if your innovation is market-ready above technology readiness level (TRL 9) .
You will have up to 12 months following the end of your initial ISC Testing Stream contract to apply to the PTC, at which time you will be assessed against the PTC entry criteria to determine if your innovation will be placed on a PTC source list where government departments can browse and purchase your successfully-tested innovations for up to three years
Important considerations
You must be selling the same innovation from your initial Testing Stream contract
If you participate in the PTC, you will no longer be eligible for additional testing through the Testing Stream. Unlike PTC contracts, additional testing contracts are still considered R&D contracts, similar to the initial Testing Stream contract. Additional testing opportunities are open to all program participants, SMEs and non-SMEs.
The requirements for commercial contracts will reflect the operational needs of client departments, the nature of the innovation, as well as input from Public Services and Procurement Canada, the program's Contracting Authority.
How will SMEs be assessed?
A number of criteria will be used as part of the assessment process, including:
- Financial capacity
- Technology readiness
- Certifications
- IP strategy
- Company size
- Scalability
- Innovation test performance
Please read the call for proposals (CFP) for more information on the Pathway to Commercialization (PTC).
Questions
All incoming questions regarding this specific call for proposals should be addressed to TPSGC.PASICVoletessai-APISCTestingStream.PWGSC@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca.
A glossary is also available.