On this page
- Assistance for made-in-Canada AI technologies
- Clean technology programming transitions to NRC IRAP
- Success stories
- Fibre optic sensing and machine vision for safer railways
- Canadian leadership on the global stage as co-chair of Eureka
- A platform to decarbonize the construction sector at scale
- A technology adaptation to support the agriculture industry's sustainability goals
- Full-scale demonstration of an autonomous flight simulation system
Helping Canadian businesses innovate and lead
The capacity of Canadian industries and businesses to innovate and compete internationally is key to Canada's economic prosperity and standard of living. Throughout 2024–2025, we worked with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the country to build their innovation capacity, including through NRC IRAP.
Assistance for made-in-Canada AI technologies
NRC IRAP's new AI Assist program is helping Canadian SMEs develop and deploy new AI-based solutions, like generative AI and deep learning, in a safe and responsible manner. The goal is to maximize the quality and competitiveness of made-in-Canada AI technologies, and enable more SMEs to reap the productivity and efficiency benefits of AI.
Through this program, a cross-Canada network of NRC IRAP industrial technology advisors (ITAs) connects SMEs to the knowledge, computing resources and tools they need to integrate AI capabilities into their own service offerings and processes. ITAs also work with traditional industries, like manufacturing and mining, that might be unaware of the transformative potential of AI or lack experience using these technologies.
The program was announced in October 2024 as part of a $2.4 billion Government of Canada investment to encourage AI adoption across Canada's economy. In less than a year, more than 250 projects have already been defined and initiated. As one example, we are helping a healthcare firm pilot AI-enhanced software for assessing heart sounds. Trained on sounds captured by digital stethoscopes, the software aims to remove noise from recordings, such as the sounds of children as they shift or cry, so physicians can better differentiate the segments of the cardiac cycle.
As the AI Assist program continues, the funding and support we provide will accelerate AI adoption within SMEs and empower AI-driven innovation that promotes productivity, efficiency and well-being, all while solidifying Canada's place as a world leader in AI.
"The more I have learned about AI, the more convinced I am that it is a generationally transformative technology. The history of innovation is that new technologies change the way we think of work, enable entirely new kinds of jobs and create net improvements in productivity, which is both an increase in GDP as well as efficiency. Generative AI solutions are a chance for Canada to catch up and address our longstanding erosion of productivity. To be there to influence such a dramatic and transformative technology is an opportunity and a big responsibility."
"Our product necessitated the capability to segment heart sounds and de-noise heart sound recordings. NRC IRAP recognized the significance of this aspect in ensuring our success and sustaining Kardio Diagnostix's leadership in the competitive artificial intelligence market. The valuable advisory services and financial support provided through the AI Assist program catalyzed the development of a groundbreaking deep learning segmentation solution that has never been accomplished before and will be patented."
Clean technology programming transitions to NRC IRAP
In June 2024, the Government of Canada announced that Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), including support to advance promising clean technologies toward commercialization, would transition to the NRC. Now part of NRC IRAP, the new IRAP Clean Technology program will continue to reinforce the growth and success of Canada's clean technology sector.
Fibre optic sensing and machine vision for safer railways
Industries across Canada depend on railways for the reliable transportation of materials and goods throughout the country. Experts at our Automotive and Surface Transportation Research Centre are exploring ways to enhance railcar safety with advanced technologies, efforts that will help keep people safe while also ensuring freight reaches its destination.
In partnership with Transport Canada and the University of Alberta, we evaluated the performance of a machine-vision inspection system that can identify cracks, wear and other defects as a train passes through a structure containing 35 infrared cameras that capture each railcar from every angle. The study results will help refine the system and ready it for broader deployment.
In April 2024, we also completed a project to develop a fibre optic sensor system to collect data on the conditions contributing to track failures—insights that will support research to make railways across Canada safer and more reliable.
Canadian leadership on the global stage as co-chair of Eureka
Canada served with Germany as co-chair of the global innovation network Eureka from July 2024 to July 2025—the first non-European member to take on that role. Alongside Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the NRC co-chaired Eureka meetings in late 2024 and early 2025, and led the planning and execution of the Eureka Global Innovation Summit in Hannover, Germany, which attracted innovators, entrepreneurs, investors and policymakers from around the world.
Together, Canada and Germany focused on achieving several strategic objectives during the co-chair period including transforming Eureka into an innovation think tank, increasing synergies with global ecosystems and expanding partnerships with countries like Brazil and Singapore, and developing long-term strategies for more effective governance and administration. We also initiated a pilot for the largest network call on circular value creation, highlighting Canada's dedication to global innovation and growth through partnerships.
Eureka is the world's largest innovation network, aiming to foster market integration and encourage international R&D cooperation among its 45 member countries. Canada's position in Eureka has been a valuable opportunity to deepen our connections with our international partners as we work toward shared prosperity.
A platform to decarbonize the construction sector at scale
Canada's construction industry faces a significant challenge: increase housing supply while supporting a low-carbon economy. In 2024–2025, we continued to advance research through our Platform to Decarbonize the Construction Sector at Scale initiative, which supports the development of tools and guidelines that can help the industry both accelerate productivity and decarbonize.
Activity areas include advancing the digitalization of construction sector practices, and supporting development of low-carbon construction tools, products and services. This work will also help the industry develop and deploy low-carbon construction solutions at scale, and make progress toward Canada's goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
A technology adaptation to support the agriculture industry's sustainability goals
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) technology, which uses laser pulses to identify elements in matter, was designed for the mining and metallurgy industries. In partnership with Canadian agri-environmental firm Logiaq, we have adapted the technology for another use: measuring carbon stored in soil, which will help the agriculture industry take steps to reduce its climate impacts.
Compared to conventional techniques for soil analysis, LIBS simplifies the process while reducing analysis time from days to minutes and analysis costs from dollars to cents. Logiaq's LaserAQ Quantum instrument, which uses our LIBS technology, is already in use within commercial labs in Canada and Africa.
Full-scale demonstration of an autonomous flight simulation system
Our Flight Research Lab continues to develop its autonomous flight and simulation system for vertical takeoff and landing. In 2024–2025, the team demonstrated the system on a full-scale rotorcraft, including new features related to perception, trajectory planning, autonomous traffic monitoring and human-machine interfaces. The autonomous flight system is also now capable of communicating with a second autonomous vehicle, marking a key milestone in its progress. Another study sought to understand how long it would take a pilot to engage or disengage aircraft automation, and their ability to do so while doing another task.
Additionally, the team formed 4 new academic partnerships and 2 new industry partnerships, all of which will involve multi-year collaborations, and confirmed new use cases for the system with the Department of National Defence. In total, the autonomous flight system was flown 30 times in 2024–2025, with 40 hours of test time. More active flight tests are planned for 2025 to further evaluate the system's unique capabilities.