Ontario Tech says it qualified for federal Defence Drone Initiative supplier marketplace

Ontario Tech University said Oct. 8 that it has qualified as a supplier in the federal government’s Defence Drone Initiative (DDI) Marketplace, a process that allows approved organizations to compete for future Department of National Defence contracts involving drones and other uncrewed and autonomous systems.

For local residents, the announcement points to defence-related testing and research activity tied to the university’s ACE facility in Oshawa, and it clarifies how the school could be involved if federal contracts are issued through the marketplace.

According to Ontario Tech, it is the only university in Ontario among the qualified suppliers listed in the DDI Marketplace.

The university said its qualifying capabilities include environmental and vibration testing; testing resilience to signal jamming and satellite navigation disruption; autonomous systems and artificial intelligence; robotics and mechatronics; sensor testing; and cybersecurity.

Ontario Tech said it qualified under Stream 5 (Innovation and Experimentation), which it described as enabling the university to propose and demonstrate emerging technologies.

The DDI Marketplace is a five-year supply arrangement in which the Defence Investment Agency invites qualified suppliers to compete for future National Defence contracts involving uncrewed and autonomous systems, counter-uncrewed technologies and related capabilities, the university said.

Ontario Tech’s ACE research and testing facility in Oshawa is a NATO DIANA test centre, the university said.

Ontario Tech also said the federal government announced a $5-million investment in May 2026 to expand ACE’s capabilities.

In the announcement, Ontario Tech president and vice-chancellor Dr. Steven Murphy said the university is “ready to help meet that need, connecting our research expertise and specialized facilities with industry and government partners.”