Read our submission: U15 Canada – PBS Budget 2025
July 29, 2025 (OTTAWA, ON) – U15 Canada has issued a call to action for the federal government to strengthen Canadian security, enhance domestic research capacity and protect Canada’s technological sovereignty.
In their submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance ahead of the 2025 budget, Canada’s leading research universities are highlighting the urgent need for Canada to act quickly to bolster capacity in emerging technologies and reduce Canadian’s dependency on knowledge and technologies generated elsewhere.
Firstly, the submission proposes the creation of a Sovereign Technologies Fund to strengthen domestic capacity in sensitive technologies critical to Canada’s future national security. Strategic investments in these key fields will also help Canada to succeed and grow in highly competitive emerging sectors.
Secondly, as researchers and universities look to contribute to keeping Canada secure in a changing international landscape, U15 Canada is recommending that the proposed Bureau of Research, Engineering and Advanced Leadership in Science (BOREALIS) build on the existing expertise of Canada’s leading research universities in dual-use technologies. Leveraging strengths in areas like AI, quantum and cyber will give Canada the knowledge it needs while realizing opportunities to grow impactful ideas that will benefit all Canadians.
Thirdly, while the new government rebuilds Canada’s immigration system, U15 Canada has signaled that efforts to attract the best and brightest should reward excellence and focus on restoring Canada’s brand for talented researchers. New investments to attract talent should be introduced alongside reforms to study permits to allow top institutions to recruit the best international students. It is also crucial that existing federal funding for research is protected from ongoing spending reviews to ensure that talented researchers looking to make a home in Canada can grow their ideas here.
“Canada’s leading research universities are a national asset towards building Canada as a secure and prosperous science and innovation hub. They are ready to work urgently with the new government to realize Canadian sovereignty, security and success in a changing geopolitical landscape,” said Robert Asselin, Chief Executive Officer.
“Our submission to the Finance Committee is the beginning not the end of a conversation about how Canada’s leading research universities can contribute towards this national effort. Whether it is sovereign technology capacity, an enhanced focus on defence and dual-use research or welcoming talented researchers from overseas, we have laid out a plan as we look towards a crucial fall budget”, added Asselin.
About U15 Canada
U15 Canada is an association of fifteen leading research universities across Canada. U15 Canada works to optimize research and innovation policies and programs that advance knowledge, develop highly-qualified leaders for all sectors, and mobilize knowledge for the benefit of all Canadians. In this way, U15 Canada seeks to help Canadian universities make a prosperous, sustainable and just future for all.
For further information, please contact:
James Hammond, Director of Public Affairs
james.hammond@u15.ca
613-715-4764
-30-