Quebec Cluster of Excellence for Drones to Benefit UAV Industry in Canada
A Cluster of Excellence for drones will be created in the Lac-Saint-Jean region of Quebec by the leaders of the Unmanned Aerial System Centre of Excellence (UAS CE), it was announced today.
Amongst other benefits, its creation will bring significant advantages to Quebec’s economy. In order to further develop the growth of a regional ecosystem dedicated to commercial and civil UAVs, the government announced in its own 2016-2026 Aerospace Strategy, a $1 million investment during the next five years.
A part of ACCORD program, which aims to support the development of strategic sectors and niches of excellence, the Quebec government has signed a three-year agreement of a Cluster of Excellence. As part of its 2016-2026 Aerospace Strategy, the Canadian government announced $1 million would be invested over 5 years to progress the development of the region’s dedicated to commercial and civil UAVs industry.
$355,000 of the funding from the Strategic Industry and Cluster Support Program (PADS) has already been directed to the UAS CE to support its effort to create the Cluster of Excellence for both consumer and commercial UAVs. Additionally, $270,000 in financial aid will be granted to the to the UAS CE to implement the cluster, which will benefit industries such as energy, telecommunications and natural sources. Quality amenities are offered by the Centre.
Marc Moffatt, director general of the UAS CE is positive about the agreement, saying, “The UAS Cluster of Excellence will represent a strong and unified structure for the development of this sector.
“The Cluster of Excellence will contribute to the development of the drone technology, while being the voice of Quebec Industry. We will work to structure, promote and represent the Quebec UAS Industry within Canada, as well as on the international level.”
The UAS CE is an international center of expertise, services and innovation, supplying all the necessary requirements to permit the Cluster of Excellence members tobecome a world leader in this cutting-edge industry.
Lac-Saint-Jean region has already gained a respect as having expertise in the UAV business, an ever-growing marketplace. Along with a 5,000-foot paved runway, navigation systems, an automatic weather station, and other amenities, the UAS CE headquarters at Alma Airport are ideally located for running UAV tests.
Moreover, the UAS CE has access to one of the only BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) UAV flight zones in Canada, leading the way in the design, testing, application and performance of commercial and civil drones.
