ARM for BC Program

Circle Innovation proposes a 3-year ARM for BC initiative for automation and robotics adoption by BC SMEs in key sectors – construction, manufacturing, and transportation/mobility, and healthcare

STATUS: Submitted to PacifiCan RIE Oct 30, 2026

$9.5M in EOIs from private industry
16 letters of support from the robotics ecosystem

Qualifying companies may submit a late EOI in support of ARM
Send to industry@circleinnovation.ca

Our Impact Goals

Funding up to $6M
over 3 years

30+

Robotics adoption projects delivered

40

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40

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120

New jobs created for HQP and non-HQP workers

1000+

Upskilled professionals trained

40

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40

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$50M

New investment received in view of adoption

Robotics Adoption

Bringing Canada into the automation race

“The most urgent need is to incentivize robot adoption among SMEs.” Canadian Robotics Council, Sep 2026

“The release of Canada’s first Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS) is a pragmatic pivot toward national self-reliance. By elevating Uncrewed and Autonomous Systems as a Tier 1 Sovereign Capability, and specifically identifying Uncrewed Systems (UxS) as a primary mission area for the new BOREALIS Defence Innovation Secure Hubs (DISH), the government has signaled that robotics is no longer a peripheral technology, but a foundational pillar of national industrial sovereignty.”
DIS: What’s in it for robotics? (CRC)

Strategic Recommendations:

  1. Designate Robotics as a National Strategic Priorityod.
  2. Designate Commercial Robotics as a Sovereign Capability.
  3. Form a Partnership to Map Canada’s Robotics Capabilities
  4. Establish a Cross-Departmental Office for Robotics Adoption (CORA)
  5. Ringfence a portion of the 85% R&D Boost toward “Physical AI” and Hardware Integration.
  6. Secure Sovereign Capital for Hardware Scaling and Domestic Adoption
Read Advanced Manufacturing Report (2026)
Human in Motion Robotics

Automation & Robotics Mobilization

Breaking down barriers to automation and robotics adoption for BC SMEs

Breaking silos

Connecting tech SMEs to service providers, experts and researchers, regulatory consulting, key skills, compute in the ecosystem – fast!

Identifying and overcoming barriers

Collaborating with SMEs to identify their key barriers to successful AI adoption with support from stakeholders

Resourcing and co-funding projects

Bringing key resources, including co-funding, to SME projects that will deliver products to the market.

Moving at the Speed of Business

Adapting projects flexibly and agilely to meet the needs of the moment and overcome arising technology business challenges

Driving robotics adoption

Enabling SMEs in short (6-12 month) project sprints to get work done and products launched

Case Studies

Circle applied its SWAT approach to AI-enabled products and AI adoption

SWAT Methodology

The SWAT approach in three easy pieces – collaboration/project co-design, critical resources, and co-funding

Partners / Funders

Circle works closely with its funders and partners

Let us know

Interested in the FAST program for your company?
Can your organization help drive AI adoptions?

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