Thales Canada and COVE invite SMEs and Start-Ups to participate in two exciting Naval Technology Innovation Challenges. We are seeking proposal submissions for innovative naval maintenance and dockyard technology solutions.

Winners will be awarded $175,000 per challenge

Resources

Naval Technology Innovation Challenges Webinar

Learn about the COVE and Thales Canada Naval Technology Innovation Challenges, application best practices, additional resources to help you with your application, and Q&A session with James Kesten, Director of Strategic Partnerships at COVE, Francois Rioux, Digital Champion, and Bahaa Khaddaj, Digital Solution Designer, at Thales Canada.

Watch the Webinar

Timeline

Application Submission Period March 20 – April 28 (5:00pm AST)

Find out more about the submission criteria on each of the individual challenge pages, or submit your application now.

Information Session March 27 (11:00am-12:00pm ADT)

This webinar provides additional details about the challenges, best practices to complete your applications, and resources to assist in your submission.

Watch the Webinar

Evaluation of Submissions May 1 – May 19

There will be three rounds of evaluation. The first round will be a panel of COVE and Thales Canada appointed judges who will evaluate and score all applications. The three (3) highest-scoring applications from each category will move to the second round, to be judged by a new set of judges. The final three (3) application winners, one (1) each per category, will be determined through a combination of scoring and deliberation.

Winners Announced June 12

Winners will be announced online on June 12, 2023. COVE will work with the winning applicant prior to sharing any information publicly.

Implementation July 3 - December 1

COVE will work with the winning applicant to monitor implementation within a five month period following the winning announcement. More information will be disclosed to the winning applicant after the announcement.


Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Naval Technology Innovation Challenge?

The Naval Technology Innovation Challenges are an opportunity for small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups to find innovative solutions for the Royal Canadian Navy through funding and resources provided by COVE and Thales Canada.

Who can participate?

All legally registered Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) in Atlantic Canada or indigenous organizations and groups may apply. Post-secondary institutions and other for-profit and not-for-profit organizations may apply but must be partnered with an Atlantic SME.

What qualifies as an SME?

SMEs must be less than 500 employees and $50 million in revenue.

What qualifies as an Atlantic company?

Any company registered to do business in one of the four Atlantic provinces (Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island).

Where must the work take place?

Through these challenges, the partners are working to increase capabilities in the Atlantic region. We would encourage the research and development and the project to take place in one of the four Atlantic Provinces.

What if a company has locations or activities outside of the Atlantic region?

Federally incorporated companies are eligible as long as they are registered to do business in the Atlantic region.

What if I am not comfortable submitting financial statements for this challenge?

Financial statements are required to be submitted by the winner of the challenge. If it is preferable, ACOA (Atlantic Canadian Opportunities Agency) can accept them on behalf of the challenge providers for review.

Who retains the IP?

A licence for use of the solution will be issued to Thales and the selected company will retain the IP for the solution and may sell the solution at their discretion.

How do I submit my application?

All submissions must be entered through the ‘Submit Application’ form.

When is the application deadline?

The application deadline is April 28, 2023, at 5:00 pm (AST).

Can I save my application and pick up where I left off?

Yes. If you provide an email address, your application will be saved with a unique link that will be emailed to you. You can use the link to complete your application at a different time.


For any further questions please contact us at challenges@coveocean.com

Supporting the Canadian Armed Forces for over 50 Years

For more than 50 years, Thales has supported the Canadian Armed Forces with vision, technical capability, and services. Thales has been critical in developing and engineering civilian technologies and solutions for defence and security applications.

Connect With Thales