Canada and Ukraine are teaming up to address national security challenges, from cybersecurity to secure cross-nation communications, with technology.
This week, the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) and Kitchener-Waterloo tech hub Communitech announced a call for proposals with the Ukrainian government’s startup fund. They are seeking tech-enabled solutions from companies in both countries as part of the Canada-Ukraine Security Innovation Challenge (CUSIC), a joint initiative established earlier this year.
“Through [CUSIC] we are creating enduring global partnerships and forging a path for game-changing solutions to national security challenges.”
Companies from Canada and Ukraine can submit their proposals from today until Sept. 11, where it will be reviewed by a panel of judges that includes national security experts.
Canadian companies accepted into CUSIC will be asked to commit to a Communitech membership. Other eligibility requirements include being headquartered in Canada and/or majority Canadian-owned. Similar requirements apply to Ukrainian companies.
Those selected to proceed will be notified between Sept. 27 and Oct. 6. From there until Nov. 3, they will receive coaching and guidance leading up to a showcase on Nov. 9, when they will present their solutions to an audience of subject-matter experts, national security partners, and potential investors.
There are two sets of challenges for companies to apply for, with one set developed by Canadians and the other by Ukrainian stakeholders.
The Canadian Challenges are calling for solutions that address the following topics: information sharing around cybersecurity, combating insider threats, resiliency and penetration testing, monitoring and protecting against malicious code, ands well as secure communications.
While the Ukrainian Challenges also call for solutions for cybersecurity and secure communications, they are also open to tools for prediction cyber attacks, data encryption, systems of protection against information weapons, automatic security posture assessment, and network traffic analysis.
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Canada and Ukraine have shared struggles when it comes to cybersecurity, with both countries not being spared from major cyber attacks over the couple of years.
Multiple cyberattacks were recorded in Ukraine prior to and during the 2022 Russian invasion of the country. The first major cyberattack took place in January 2022, taking down more than a dozen of Ukraine’s official government websites.
In 2020, the Canada Revenue Agency shut down its website following a cyberattack where thousands of previously stolen user credentials were being used to fraudulently access government services.
By working together, the two nations hope to both strengthen their technology expertise, with the goal of accelerating commercialization through piloting and procurement opportunities.
“Collaboration is the catalyst for innovation. Through [CUSIC] we are creating enduring global partnerships and forging a path for game-changing solutions to national security challenges,” said Claudia Krywiak, president and CEO at OCI.
Featured image courtesy Unsplash.