HESA x Defence
In recent years, the Government of Canada committed to significant long-term investments in national defence and security, including new investments in research and a broader commitment to education and training as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy. It is clear that post-secondary institutions will have a crucial role to play in advancing defence and security research and strengthening Canada’s talent pipelines in the coming years – the question now is how the sector does this work.
HESA is helping Canadian post-secondary institutions meet this moment through convening the sector for critical conversations, strategy sessions, and learning opportunities through our National Defence Research Roundtable and our new Defence Ready Strategic Leadership Cohort.
New for 2026
Defence Ready Strategic Leadership Cohort
In recent years, the Government of Canada has outlined new ambitions for national defence, security, and sovereignty, with significant new investments in research and development and a broader commitment to education and training in high-demand areas as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy. It is clear that Canadian colleges, universities, and polytechnics have a critical role to play in realizing these ambitions; the future of defence research and development will be led by our researchers and the workforce that powers these ambitions will be educated in our institutions. However, this new defence strategy has come with little guidance, direction, or support for post-secondary institutions hoping to engage in the defence ecosystem.
- So, where do we go from here?
HESA is convening our inaugural Defence Ready Strategic Leadership Cohort to create a space for institutional leaders to have critical conversations, identify and break down barriers to defence readiness, and learn from experts – and one another – to accelerate change. This cohort program is ideal for institutions invested in growing and evolving their defence research and teaching portfolio.
Over nine months, HESA will deliver nine members-only virtual meetings, each focused on a core strategic dimension of defence readiness. Members will also receive thematic reports, resources, and access to guest speakers. Reports will synthesize current research, Canadian and international case studies, and insights from senior leaders across academia, industry, and government. Each meeting will be facilitated by Alex Petit-Thorne (Senior Associate & Project Lead) and Alex Usher (President), creating space for confidential discussion, peer learning, and expert exchange under Chatham House Rules. We anticipate select meetings will also feature leaders from across the defence ecosystem in Canada and abroad.
Nine members-only virtual meetings
Over nine months, focused on core strategic dimensions.
THEMATIC REPORTS AND RESOURCES
Synthesize current research, case studies, and insights.
EXPERT PERSPECTIVES
Guest speakers from across academia, industry, government, and the defence ecosystem.
CONFIDENTIAL DISCUSSIONS
Facilitated under Chatham House Rules by Alex Petit-Thorne and Alex Usher.
NDRR
National Defence Research Roundtable
Across Canada, post-secondary institutions and their partners are already engaged in defence and security related work, but these efforts often unfold in isolation. HESA believes there is a clear opportunity and need to connect, share, and coordinate these efforts. That is why we convened the National Defence Research Roundtable (NDRR).
The NDRR brought together post-secondary leaders, advocacy organisations, leading research centers, funding bodies, and other key stakeholders from government and industry to tackle the big question: how do we build and fund a coordinated, nationally aligned defence research and education ecosystem?
Previous Meetings
March 23, 2026 – Carleton University
Building on our December 2025 meeting, this meeting of the NDRR focused on integrating whole-of-society models of defence (“Total Defence” or “civil defence”) into the post-secondary ecosystem, and challenged participants to consider how the sector can coordinate its defence-related efforts. Over the course of the day, participants heard from key leaders of Campus Total Defence, a strategic collaboration between post-secondary institutions in Sweden, engaged with Canadian experts around the realities of adopting a whole-of-society model, and discussed the barriers to and possibilities for sector-wide coordination in Canada.
December 15, 2025 – Ottawa
The 2025 National Defence Research Roundtable convened representatives from Canadian post-secondary institutions, leading research centers, national organizations, and granting bodies to discuss how to coordinate and advance defence research in this country and to develop sector-wide advice on how Canada should structure future defence and security research investments.
Through thematic discussions and collaborative policy design sessions, roundtable participants outlined the structures, investments, and enabling conditions needed to build a coordinated and nationally aligned national defence and security research ecosystem.
