AIAC is exploring new ways of sharing time-sensitive opportunities with our members and industry stakeholders. Be sure to check out some of the ongoing funding, procurement and collaboration opportunities below!

Funding Available for Select Industry Events

Did you know, through our partnership with the CanExport Program, AIAC members can access funding to attend select international events

Contact us to learn more about funding for the following industry events:
Funding is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Procurement and market-access platforms

Government of Canada Opportunities

[NEW] Minister-led trade mission to South Korea opens opportunities for Canadian businesses
Canadian companies are invited to participate in the Team Canada Trade Mission to the Republic of Korea, taking place March 30–April 2, 2026, in Seoul. Led by The Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, the mission builds on more than a decade of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement, which has doubled bilateral merchandise trade and provides tariff-free access for most Canadian exports. The program will target sectors including aerospace and defence, clean energy transition, ICT and life sciences, with opportunities for networking, business briefings and pre-arranged business-to-business meetings.
Key Details:
  • Application deadline: February 13, 2026, at 23:59 PT
  • To ensure meeting opportunities, Canada’s Trade Commissioner Service strongly encourages companies to apply by February 6, 2026, to be considered for pre-arranged business-to-business (B2B) meetings. While the application period is open until February 13, 2026, applications submitted after February 6, will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and may not receive tailored B2B meetings as part of the trade mission program.
[NEW] Canadian delegation to Financing, Investment and Trade in Africa (FITA) 2026 in Tunisia
Canadian companies are invited to join a business delegation to the Financing, Investment and Trade in Africa (FITA) 2026 event, taking place April 28–29 in Tunis, Tunisia. Canada has been selected as the featured non-African country for this year’s edition, providing Canadian participants with access to curated partnership meetings, networking opportunities and market-intelligence sessions organized by the Trade Commissioner Service.
Key Details:
  • Registration deadline: February 15, 2026
  • March 2, 2026 – businesses’ participation in FITA2026 will be confirmed
  • March 20, 2026 – selection of targets and matchmaking will begin
[NEW] International Co-Innovation Action Plan (ICAP) Program Workshop
ICAP virtual workshop Fall schedule:
  • Cohort #1: January 28-29, 2026 (1:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST)
  • Cohort #2: February 17-18, 2026 (1:00 PM-4:00 PM EST)
  • Action Plan Review Sessions: These 1:1 sessions will be held one week after each ICAP virtual workshop
Project Completion Deadline: Within 6 months of the start date
Open to: Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

Why should a Canadian SME apply?
  • Are planning to expand into global markets.
  • Need an international co-innovation partner to help adapt, validate or co-develop their technology solution.
  • Need help building and validating an international market entry strategy and action plan.
More information: Please contact your NRC IRAP Industrial Technology Advisor or Karl Miller, ICAP Program Lead.
[NEW] Germany – Quantum call for proposals
Sector of focus: Quantum computing, quantum sensing and enabling technologies for quantum
Open to: Canadian SMEs and other Canadian collaborators (NRC researchers, universities, research technology organizations, not-for-profit organizations and large enterprises and industries).

Why apply?
  • Canada and Germany are advancing national quantum strategies by investing in quantum-related research, innovation, talent, infrastructure and commercialization.
  • The Canada–Germany Digital Alliance was recently launched to accelerate collaboration on artificial intelligence (AI), digital sovereignty, digital infrastructure, quantum and innovation in the digital economy.
  • Germany is the world’s 3rd largest economy and a key innovation and trade partner for Canada.
Related event: Information webinar on January 19, 2025, at 11:00 AM EST, please visit the webinar event to register.
Deadline to register: February 5, 2026

More information: Please visit the web page or contact Andrew Bauder (SMEs) and Rebecca Trueman (other Canadian collaborators).
[NEW] Europe – Eurostars call for proposals
Sectors of focus: All sectors (except military)
Open to: Canadian SMEs and other Canadian organizations. *NRC IRAP funding is only available for eligible Canadian SMEs.

Why apply?
  • Co-innovate with partners from 35+ Eurostars Countries that have national funding available.
  • Eurostars projects are known for their high quality and impact.
  • Fast decisions on project selections (3-4 months).
Related event: Webinar for applicants on January 22, 2026. The session will be recorded and made available to all registered participants after the event.
Registration Deadline (for firms not yet NRC IRAP clients) *: February 19, 2026
Deadline to submit a Eurostars proposal (online): March 19, 2026

More information: Please visit the web page or contact IRAP International Office.
[NEW] Europe – Eureka Eurogia Cluster call for proposals
Sector of focus: Clean Technologies
Open to: Canadian SMEs and other Canadian organizations. *NRC IRAP funding is only available for eligible Canadian SMEs.

Why apply?
  • Integrate your product/service into the value chain of multinational European firms;
  • Contribute to a sustainable environment, the reduction of climate change and sustainable growth by answering Eurogia’s targeted challenges which include, but are not limited to: hydrogen and renewable energy technology for generation and storage; ICT technologies tracking CO2, managing energy use and storage; energy efficient housing, digital twins, smart cities, IoT; and AI and Big data technologies used for energy use optimization.
  • Take advantage of Eurogia’s three calls for proposals per year to submit a project outline – to get informed feedback, or a full project proposal – to obtain the widely recognized Eureka label, which could be followed with a request for national funding support from NRC IRAP.
Related event: Project outline day on March 5, 2026 in Budapest, Hungary (information session and matchmaking event).
Deadline to submit a project outline or a full project proposal: April 30, 2026

More information: Please visit the web page or contact Peter Bandas.
Europe – Eureka Xecs Cluster call for proposals
Sectors of focus: Micro/nano-electronics and photonics
Open to: Canadian SMEs and other Canadian organizations. *NRC IRAP funding is only available for eligible Canadian SMEs.

Why apply?
  • Accelerate R&D roadmap taking advantage of European industry associations (AENEAS, EPoSS and INSIDE) and their thousands of members.
  • Integrate products into the global value chain of large firms such as NXP, Infineon, Bosch and several others.
  • Speed up hardware innovation, expand R&D horizons, participate in standardizations and accelerate products to market.
Deadline to submit project outline: January 22, 2026

More information: please visit Xecs website or contact Vance Pan.
Europe – Eureka SMART Cluster call for proposals
Sector of focus: Advanced manufacturing
Open to: Canadian SMEs and other Canadian organizations. *NRC IRAP funding is only available for eligible Canadian SMEs.

Why apply?
  • Advanced manufacturing is used in most European countries as a key enabler to increase industrial competitiveness.
  • Participants will have access to numerous organizations in 18 countries across the globe, including European multinational corporations as well as SMEs, Universities and Research centers for strategic partnerships.
  • This call for proposals will enable participants to gain visibility as an innovative organization with the widely recognized Eureka label
Deadline to submit project outline: January 22, 2026
Deadline to submit full project proposal: April 27, 2026

More information: Please visit SMART web page or contact Peter Bandas.
Global – International Technology Pilot and Demonstration Program
Sector of focus: Clean technologies
Open to: Canadian SMEs

Why apply?
  • Urgent need to commercialize your technologies in new international markets or new industry verticals
  • Need to pilot/demonstrate, validate and adapt your technologies to break the barriers of entry, facilitate a first sale to an international early adopter, which could trigger a domino effect for international market penetration and improve your firm’s bankability
Deadline to register: January 30, 2026

More information: Please visit the web page or contact Qing Yu.
Taiwan – Call for proposals
Sectors of focus: advanced manufacturing, clean technologies, digital technologies, health and bio-sciences, and quantum technologies
Open to: Canadian SMEs

Why apply?
  • Taiwan is home to top companies in semiconductors, electronics, communication and information technology, which lead the global market
  • Taiwan’s geographic proximity to other major Asian markets enhances its role as a regional innovation hub
  • Taiwan is an important regional partner in Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
Deadline to register: February 19, 2026

More information: Please visit the web page or contact Wei Ning.
Europe – CELTIC-NEXT Cluster call for proposals in telecommunications
Sectors of focus: ICT and telecommunications
Open to: Canadian SMEs and other Canadian organizations. *NRC IRAP funding is only available for eligible Canadian SMEs.

Why apply?
  • ​​​​​​​​​Gain access to the telecommunications value chain, new markets, technologies, and skills as well as visibility as an innovative organization with the widely recognized Eureka label
  • Opportunities to network and potentially partner with multi-national enterprises
  • Work with partners beyond national borders, develop new products, and accelerate time-to-market
Related events:
Deadline to submit full project proposal: April 24, 2026

More information: please visit CELTIC-NEXT website or contact Vance Pan.

Procurement and market-access platforms:

NATO Funding, Procurement Opportunities & Market Access Opportunities

[NEW] NATO Request for Industry Participation:
Hybrid Event to Elicit Industry Views
NCIA is inviting early industry engagement through a hybrid event to share its vision and high-level requirements for the Operational Network – Extension (ON-X) programme, focused on a secure, scalable, air-gapped multi-cloud environment for classified data. The session will also be used to gather industry input to help inform future ON-X procurement activities, with registration required by early February 2026.

Key Details:
[NEW] NATO Notification of Intent to Invite Bids:
Multi-Award Framework Contract for Counter–Unmanned Aircraft Systems (CUAS) Capabilities 
NCIA is establishing a multi-award framework to enable rapid procurement, through purchase or lease, of Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) capabilities as operational needs arise. The framework will serve as a standing procurement vehicle, with individual requirements competed as needed and no funding committed at the framework level.

Key Details:
  • Solicitation Release Date: Anticipated on 12 January 2026
  • Solicitation Closing Date: Anticipated on 16 March 2026
  • Contract Award Date: Anticipated on 30 June 2026
[NEW] NATO Request for Information (RFI):
PROVISION OF WI-FI INTERNET CONNECTIVITY VIA 5G BACKHAUL FOR SHAPE BUILDINGS
NCIA is seeking industry input on available solutions and capabilities to support Wi-Fi internet connectivity using 5G backhaul infrastructure for SHAPE facilities. This request is for market research purposes only and is not a formal solicitation or call for bids.


Key Details:
  • Planned Solicitation Closing:  14 February 2026
  • Eligibility: NATO-based companies
[NEW] NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
PROVIDE DEPLOYABLE POINTS OF PRESENCE TO LIAISON ELEMENTS (LES) TO SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES – WP1 (SOPLE & SOLE)
The NCIA is searching for an industry partner for the design, procurement of hardware and software, licences, assembly, integration and configuration of the system, installation, testing and verification to Final System Acceptance, ILS support and warranty.


Key Details:
  • Anticipated Issue Date: 16 Mar 2026
  • Anticipated Bid Closing Date: 22 May 2026
  • Eligibility: Companies headquartered in a NATO member nation.
[NEW] NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
PROVIDE DEPLOYABLE POINTS OF PRESENCE TO LIAISON ELEMENTS (LES) TO SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES – WP2 (SOLO)
NCIA is seeking industry solutions to deliver 14 highly transportable Deployable Points of Presence (DPoP) to support Special Operations Liaison Officers, aligned with NATO Deployable Communication and Information Systems requirements. The scope includes end-to-end system design, delivery, integration, testing, and lifecycle support for secure, multi-domain communications and core services.


Key Details:
  • Anticipated Issue Date: 16 Mar 2026
  • Anticipated Bid Closing Date: 22 May 2026
  • Eligibility: Companies headquartered in a NATO member nation.
[NEW] NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
Crowdsourced Black Box Web Penetration Testing (BBPT) of External Web Assets
NCIA is seeking a supplier to deliver crowdsourced black-box web penetration testing services for NATO’s external web assets, with the goal of identifying and supporting remediation of cyber vulnerabilities. The contractor would manage vetted researchers, operate a secure testing platform, and conduct multiple time-boxed testing campaigns annually under a firm-fixed-price contract.


Key Details:
  • Date of NPO Publication: 12/01/2026
  • Anticipated Solicitation Release Date: February 2026
  • Anticipated Solicitation Closing Date: March 2026
  • Anticipated Contract Award Date: June 2026
  • Point of Contact: Line Sigh, Senior Contracting Officer | RFQ-CO-424326-BBPT@ncia.nato.int
[NEW] NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
New Digital Workplace operated by Intranet Packaged Solution called FENIX
NCIA is seeking a specialist supplier to deliver and operate a fully outsourced intranet packaged solution that supports the full lifecycle of the Agency’s digital workplace. The objective is to modernize the NR intranet into a single, integrated platform that enables collaboration, business processes, and access to workplace tools and applications for staff across multiple global locations.

Key details:
  • Date of NPO Publication: 19/01/2026
  • Anticipated Solicitation Release Date: 13/02/2026
  • Anticipated Solicitation Closing Date: 20/03/2026
  • Anticipated Contract Award Date: 01/07/2026
  • Point of Contact: Gracja Kuzaj | 424285-FENIX@ncia.nato.int
[NEW] NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
Data Centre Modules – Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Framework for the provision of containerised, module Data centre capabilities
NCIA is seeking industry solutions for containerized, transportable, and modular data centre capabilities to support on-premise and off-premise computing needs, including high-density and artificial intelligence workloads. The IDIQ framework will enable global delivery across NATO locations through multiple qualified providers, with site-specific requirements competed through individual task orders.

Key Details:
  • Date of NPO Publication: 22/01/2026
  • Estimated Ceiling Value: EUR 200,000,000
  • Anticipated Solicitation Release Date: Q1 2026
  • Anticipated Solicitation Closing Date: Release date +35 days
  • Anticipated Contract Award Date: Release date +60 days
  • Point of Contact: Pedro Mendes, Contracting Officer | E-mail: IFBCO424239DCModules@ncia.nato.int 
[NEW] NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
PROVIDE DEPLOYABLE POINTS OF PRESENCE TO LIAISON ELEMENTS (LES) TO SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES – WP2 (SOLO)
The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has issued an NPO for the provision of 14 (fourteen) Special Operations Liaison Officer (SOLO) Deployable Points of Presence (DPoP), modular and highly transportable (suitable for transport on commercial airplanes – non-cargo).

Key Details:
  • Scope: The NCIA is searching for an industry partner for the design, procurement of hardware and software, assembly, integration and configuration of the system, installation, testing and verification to Final System Acceptance, ILS support and warranty.
  • Type of Contract: Lowest Priced Technical Compliant
  • Classification: Part of the solicitation documents will be classified as NATO RESTRICTED. Bidders need to be eligible in accordance with their national legislation to receive and handle information at NR level to be able to access all solicitation documents. For the performance under the Contract, the Contractor will need to be security cleared to access and handle information up to NATO SECRET.
Anticipated Issue Date: 16 Mar 2026
Anticipated Bid Closing Date: 29 May 2026
Eligibility: Companies headquartered in a NATO member nation.
[NEW] NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
 Alternate, Contingency and Emergency (ACE) Transmission Means and Automatic Switching for SOF supporting SOCC, SOTG and LEs – WP2 (Provision of NATO-Owned Equipment)
NCIA is planning a procurement to deliver NATO-owned equipment that enables resilient Alternate, Contingency and Emergency (ACE) transmission capabilities for Special Operations Forces deployable communications. The project will establish a multi-year IDIQ framework to supply satellite, terrestrial, and emergency communications equipment, along with an automatic switching solution that integrates multiple transmission modes to ensure continuity, survivability, and command-and-control resilience under degraded or contested conditions.

Key Details:
  • Date of NPO Publication: 18/12/2025
  • Anticipated Solicitation Release Date: Q1 2026
  • Anticipated Solicitation Closing Date: Q2 2026
  • Anticipated Contract Award Date: October 2026
  • Point of Contact: Irina Barabancea, Contracting Officer | IFB-CO-424256-SOFC2CIS-ACE@ncia.nato.int
[NEW] NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
 Initial Solutions for Enablement Support Services (ESS) Logistics Suite (LOGSUITE)
 NCIA is seeking industry solutions to deliver an integrated Enablement Support Services (ESS) capability that strengthens NATO logistics, engineering, and medical sustainment across operations and missions. The objective is to provide interoperable services that help address capability gaps and improve support to NATO command and force structures.

Key Details:
  • Anticipated Solicitation Release Date: 23/02/2026
  • Anticipated Solicitation Closing Date: 13/05/2026
  • Anticipated Contract Award Date: 26/06/2026
  • Point of Contact: Nicholas Griffin, Senior Contracting Officer |IFB-CO-424323-ESS-LOGSUITE@ncia.nato.int
NATO Notification of Procurement Opportunity (NPO):
Ukraine-NATO Innovation, Technology & Engineering (UNITE BRAVE NATO) Programme – Innovation Contracts

The NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA), is seeking to award a number of innovation contracts to NATO companies to strengthen the integration with the Ukraine BRAVE1 intergovernmental defence innovation platform. The NCIA hereby notifies the following Procurement Opportunity in accordance with the Procedure for NATO Competitive Procurement. This notification is issued to foster open and fair competition among eligible vendors from participating nations. This notification does not constitute a commitment to award a contract.

Anticipated Solicitation Release Date: 09/02/2026
Anticipated Solicitation Closing Date: 30/04/2026
Anticipated Contract Award Date: 29/05/2026
NATO Invitation for International Bidding:
IFIB-ACT-JWC-26-03 Contract Support to JWC Stavanger

This IFIB seeks to establish multi-award framework contracts under which tasking orders will be issued at agreed rates throughout the duration of the contracts to support NATO’s JWC in Stavanger. 

Bid Issue Date: 1 Feb 2025 (target date)
Bid Closing Date: 1 May 2025 (target date)
NATO Invitation for International Bidding:
IFIB-FC(2025)0501 RFP 80463 Management Advisory Services Framework Agreements

This IFIB seeks to establish a set of strategic Framework Agreements (FA) for Management Advisory Services (MAS+) including a wide range of consulting services to support principally NATO International Staff mission and objectives on simple and expeditious basis, as a result of the public solicitation.
 
Bid Issue Date: Q4 2025 / Q1 2026 (estimated)
An electronic version of the RFP will be posted in Q4 2025 / Q1 2026 on the NATO IS Business Opportunities portal: https://nato.bonfirehub.com/portal/?tab=openOpportunities

Contact:
All qualified Canadian companies with relevant capabilities and clearances are encouraged to consider submitting a proposal. If interested you should: