Programs
Backer is engaged with provincial and federal innovation, grant, and defence-readiness programs. These engagements focus on building coordination capability, partner-network depth, and accelerated qualification for the Canadian defence supply chain and NATO-allied procurement.
01 / Active engagements
Manufacturing and innovation funding pathway — engaged. Technology Development Advisor relationship being established.
$244M federal stream for SMB defence and dual-use technology — Industrial Technology Advisor intake in progress.
$200K–$5M interest-free repayable financing for prairie manufacturing scale-up — exploring.
$4B SMB defence-sector capital and advisory program — exploring.
$357.7M federal SMB supply-chain integration program — exploring.
DND innovation program with up to $1.5M project-level funding — targeted for 2027 once partner-network qualifications align.
02 / Federal framework alignment
The federal government's 2026 Defence Industrial Strategy commits unprecedented investment to Canadian defence industrial capability — including specific provisions for SMB participation, prairie manufacturing, NATO interoperability, and Canadian Content prioritization. Backer's positioning aligns directly with these federal priorities.
100% CCV on all Backer-coordinated output — eligible for ITB Policy multipliers, Build-Partner-Buy preference, and federal supplier diversity priorities.
Edmonton-based operations align with $2.67B Northern Operational Support Hub investment and federal prairie manufacturing priorities.
Canadian-coordinated components and assemblies available to NATO allied nations under federal export and procurement frameworks.
Sized for the SMB defence-sector entry point — design and project management discipline, partner-network coordination, and accountable Canadian principals.
A partnership conversation with Backer is a 30-minute call with Ashley Brennan, our operational executive. Kelso joins for governance, strategic, or partnership-structure conversations where his counsel is relevant. We'd welcome the chance to understand what you're working on, share where Backer fits, and tell you honestly if we don't.
Schedule a partnership conversation