Alberta is making a significant push into Canada's growing defence industry, with both provincial and federal governments committing major funding to help Alberta companies develop and bring defence technologies to market.

On the provincial side, the Alberta government is investing $21 million to launch DEFENDS — the Dual-Use Ecosystem for Future Engineering, National Defence and Sovereignty — a program led by the University of Alberta that will connect Alberta companies, universities, and the Canadian Armed Forces.

The goal is to help Alberta businesses, many of which already make advanced products for energy, environmental monitoring, and construction, adapt and certify those same technologies for defence use. Three new secure facilities will also be built through the initiative to test advanced manufacturing components, develop microchips and communication systems, and evaluate radar and wireless technologies.

The $21 million is part of a broader $127 million, 10-year initiative. For every dollar Alberta invests, approximately $6 in partner funding follows. Over 10 years, DEFENDS is projected to support more than 8,000 jobs, more than 200 Alberta companies, and generate more than $7 billion in GDP growth.

Earlier this month, the federal government announced its own investment in Alberta's defence sector, committing more than $9.3 million in repayable funding through the Regional Defence Investment Initiative to six Alberta-based small and medium-sized businesses. Five of the six are Calgary-based.

The largest single investment — $3 million — went to Canadian UAVs for a deployable drone platform designed for long-endurance reconnaissance operations. VizworX received $2 million to commercialize its Virtual Reality-based Command and Control solution for the Canadian Armed Forces and NATO allies, and Microlynx Systems received $2 million to improve radar amplifiers supporting Arctic domain awareness and NORAD modernization.

Alberta is already home to Canadian Forces Base Edmonton, 4 Wing Cold Lake, and Defence Research and Development Canada Suffield, making it one of Canada's most strategically positioned provinces for defence innovation.