KONGSBERG, Kongsberg Maritime and British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Announce Landmark Marine Innovation Simulation Centre of Excellence in Support of Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy

The partnership and subsequent investment are enabled through the Industrial Technological Benefits (ITB) policy, and in support of KONGSBERG programs in Canada. This CAD 76.5 million investment will directly support improved facility infrastructure, onboarding of applied research and faculty expertise, and ongoing research and long-term capability development.

Through the partnership, BCIT’s new Simulation Center will be built around the Kongsberg Maritime’s simulation technology, providing a synthetic environment, development tools, and APIs to support collaborative applied research with Canadian industry, academia, defence, and public-sector stakeholders. It will serve as a platform for prototyping, human factor studies, testing, and accident and incident analysis including de-risking new concepts in areas such as maritime safety, autonomy, cyber resilience, critical infrastructure, port development, and low- and zero-emission operations. The hub will also help accelerate commercialization opportunities and support the development of sovereign Canadian capability in a strategically important sector.

“We are very pleased to demonstrate our continued commitment to Canada through this partnership,” said Jordan Freed, President and Managing Director at Kongsberg Geospatial, KONGSBERG’s Ottawa-based subsidiary. “Sovereign digital systems are a key capability outlined in Canada’s defence industrial strategy. Our company is pleased to play a role in building out key defence capabilities, based on KONGSBERG and Norway’s long history of maritime domain research and infrastructure.”

The partners will implement a strategic long-term capability to support sustainable and future-oriented maritime development. The technology partners will deliver the core systems, simulation environment, and technical expertise required to enable high realism, scalability, and innovation across the project’s solutions.

“Together with BCIT, we are establishing a long-term innovation and research hub for Canada’s maritime sector—one that can support safer operations, faster competence development and the testing of new concepts before they are deployed in the real world," said Are Føllesdal Tjønn, Managing Director, Maritime Simulation at Kongsberg Maritime. "By combining advanced simulation with collaborative R&D, MISE will empower Canadian maritime capability and support future sustainable growth”. 

To expand access and increase training capacity, the partnership will provide licences for cloud-based simulation systems, enabling BCIT to extend learning beyond the campus—supporting flexible delivery, additional practice hours, and remote and distributed training models for its students, while also helping increase access to maritime education and skills development opportunities for Indigenous communities.

“The Marine Innovation Simulation Centre of Excellence speaks to the power of collaboration and partnership. This innovative project will enable the creation of new education and training programs, support small and medium-sized businesses to commercialize new products, and create the most advanced marine education research environment in Canada,” said Dr. Jeff Zabudsky, President of BCIT.  “This unique partnership combines workforce development, applied research, and industry collaboration in one environment.”

“MISE reflects BCIT’s commitment to preparing the next generation of talent for Canada’s evolving marine sector,” said Jennifer Figner, Provost and Vice President, Academic, BCIT. “By expanding access to advanced maritime training and immersive learning opportunities, MISE will equip learners with the skills, experience, and industry connections needed to succeed in a rapidly changing sector. It will strengthen BCIT’s ability to deliver responsive, future-focused education that meets the needs of employers and communities across Canada.”

BCIT’s strong academic capability, applied research expertise, and educational leadership is central to the implementation and development of the project. Together, the partners expect the initiative to generate significant socio-economic value through workforce development, stronger industry–academia collaboration, innovation opportunities for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses, and broader knowledge transfer across the maritime sector. The project is also expected to support regional economic activity, strengthen sovereign industrial capability, and create long-term benefits for training, research, and commercialization in Canada.

Note: Kongsberg Gruppen ASA and Kongsberg Maritime AS are now two separately listed companies following the demerger of Kongsberg Gruppen. Kongsberg Maritime was listed as an independent global maritime technology company on Euronext Oslo Børs on 23 April 2026.