##  [Agenda - Canada West Defence & Dual-Use Research and Innovation Forum ](/defenceforum/agenda) 

| > ###### **WESTERN CANADA’S PLATFORM FOR TURNING RESEARCH EXCELLENCE INTO DEFENCE CAPABILITY** |
|---|

## Location and Dates:

- **Reception:** January 25, 2027, BCIT Marine Campus, 265 Esplanade W, North Vancouver, BC
- **Forum:** January 26-28, 2027, Ponderosa Commons Ballroom, 6445 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC

| **Reception Evening** |
|---|
| 17:00 – 17:30 | Registration and Networking |
| 17:30 – 17:45 | Welcome Remarks |
| 17:45 – 18:30 | Fireside Chat with Dr. Gaëlle Rivard Piché, Executive Director, CDA Institute |
| 18:30 – 20:00 | Networking; Marine Innovation & Simulation Showcase |
|  |
| **<a id="da1-agenda"></a>DAY 1: Advanced Dual-Use Research Ecosystems &amp; Emerging Frontier Tech** |
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration and Breakfast |
| 09:00 – 09:45 | Keynote Address: The Evolving Battlefield: AI, Autonomous Systems, Drones, and the Next Era of Multi-Domain Warfare |
| 09:45 – 11:00 | Panel 1: Multi-Institutional research and innovation clusters, collaboration across BC's ecosystem, regional capabilities roadmap |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Coffee Break |
| 11:15 – 12:30 | Panel 2: Leveraging AI for situational awareness across air, land, and sea |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Lunch Keynote: The Geopolitical Shift &amp; Transatlantic Tech Cooperation in a Contested Era |
| 13:30 – 14:45 | Panel 3: Personnel Protection, advanced wearables and protective materials, biomedical countermeasures |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | Coffee Break |
| 15:00 – 17:00 | Guided lab tours of UBC facilities |
|  |
| **<a id="da2-agenda"></a>DAY 2: Commercialization, Procurement, &amp; ITB Multiplication** |
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration and Breakfast |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Keynote Address: DND/CAF Vision for Defence Procurement, Innovation Pipelines, and Capability Priorities |
| 09:30 – 11:00 | Panel 1: Engaging defence Primes &amp; ITB multiplication, integrating regional SMEs and PSIs into supply chains |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Coffee Break |
| 11:15 – 12:30 | Panel 2: Research security, STRAC and NSGRP compliance and practical risk mitigation |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Networking Lunch Break |
| 13:30 – 15:00 | Panel 3: Capital platforms &amp; Dual-use venture scaling, regional defence funds |
| 15:00 – 15:15 | Coffee Break |
| 15:15 – 17:00 | Dual-use innovation pitch &amp; showcase |
|  |
| **<a id="da3-agenda"></a>DAY 3: Operational Validation, Field Testing &amp; Tactical Deployment** |
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration and Breakfast |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Keynote Address: From Lab Bench to Extreme Environments: DRDC’s Test, Evaluation, and Field Validation Roadmap |
| 09:30 – 11:00 | Panel 1: Autonomy, counter-UAS &amp; unmanned systems in extreme environments, resilient communications in GPS-denied situation |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Coffee Break |
| 11:15 – 12:30 | Panel 2: Accelerated field testing, closing the testing gap for extreme tactical deployment |
| 12:30 – 13:30 | Networking Lunch Break |
| 13:30 – 15:30 | Regional strategy &amp; 12-month action plan working session for Western Canada |
| 15:30 – 15:45 | Coffee Break |
| 15:45 – 17:00 | Closing roundtable and wrap-up |



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### Yaser Roshan

Senior Manager, Research Partnerships



<yaser.roshan@ubc.ca>



[604.822.1571](tel:604.822.1571)