Dalhousie President Kim Brooks emphasizes the role of research in Canadian sovereignty and prosperity

Listen to an interview with Dalhousie President and Vice-Chancellor Kim Brooks, who discusses how Canada’s defense investments can support Canada’s sovereign capability.

She says universities need to be at the centre of that conversation. Brooks says defence spending is about economic development. This investment will build Canadian firms, talent, supply chains, and confidence.

Key takeaways from Kim Brooks interview with The Hub podcast

1. Universities as pillars of national sovereignty Brooks says universities must be central to Canada’s sovereignty agenda. In addition to supplying graduates, they should also build knowledge, talent, and infrastructure across areas like oceans, AI, cybersecurity, Arctic research, critical minerals, and defense.

2. A geopolitical shift She frames the current moment as unprecedented, with Russian aggression, new Arctic routes, cyber threats, and an unreliable U.S. all. This creates an urgent need for Canada to ask: what can we do ourselves? Universities are uniquely suited to answer that question.

3. Research isn’t just ships and hardware Modern defence capability depends on talent, innovation, and technology. Brooks highlights Dalhousie’s cognitive and motor performance lab studying how humans work with AI under pressure in Arctic surveillance as an example of cutting-edge defence-relevant research that looks nothing like traditional procurement.

4. The Royal Canadian Navy partnership as a model Dal’s long-standing relationship with the RCN demonstrates what productive university-military collaboration looks like. A concrete example: a Dalhousie researcher in advanced materials and additive manufacturing is helping develop domestic solutions to repair aging naval assets when parts are unavailable or procurement timelines are too long.

5. Dual-use technology is everywhere From autonomous underwater sensors (protecting whales and supporting naval surveillance) to cybersecurity research on digital exhaust, Brooks emphasizes that civilian and defence innovation increasingly share the same foundations. Most research universities are already doing this work.

6. Spending doesn’t automatically create capability. Increased defence spending won’t translate into productivity or innovation unless it is deliberately channelled into building Canadian firms, IP, supply chains, and talent. Brooks calls for a “made in Canada” mindset and stronger networked structures which move beyond ad hoc partnerships toward integrated, scalable national ecosystems.

7. Research security vs. academic openness Brooks frames this as a manageable tension, not an either/or. Her principle: “as open as possible, as secure as necessary.” She treats research security as an extension of existing research ethics frameworks and not a threat to academic freedom, but a responsible component of it.

8. Talent is foundational The defence spending surge will create massive demand for skilled workers across many fields. Universities need to respond with flexible programming with shorter courses, transferable credentials, better integration with community colleges, and co-op placements aligned to real military and industry needs.

9. What success looks like in 5–10 years Brooks envisions: stronger domestic sovereign capability; defence spending converting into a resilient Canadian economy; a functional university-industry-military network where ideas flow easily from research to testing to adoption; and place-based excellence — with Halifax/Nova Scotia serving as a national hub for oceans, shipbuilding, and naval readiness.