Where the next generation of autonomous systems prove themselves.
Proving Grounds is the robotics and autonomous systems track of the Convergence program — recruiting its founding cohort of drone, robotics, and AI companies developing sustainable, precision-engineered, dual-use platforms. The infrastructure exists. The program is forming. We're looking for the companies who'll define it.
Grounds
A complete validation environment for autonomous platforms.
Building autonomous drones, ground robots, or AI-enabled sensing platforms requires controlled lab integration, repeatable indoor testing, and validated outdoor performance — typically requiring multiple facilities. Proving Grounds connects these multiple facilities into a single program. The cohort program is being formed around them.
Robotics & drone integration lab
Platform integration benches, indoor drone calibration (Transport Canada RPAS-compliant), AI and sensor fusion testing, and precision data infrastructure. A rotating fleet of deployed commercial platforms — Monarch Tractor (electric, autonomous-capable), DJI Agras T-50 (drone), Naïo (electric autonomous), Korechi RoamIO (sensor/AI navigation), Raven OMNiPOWER (large-scale dual-use platform), and others — available for navigation, perception, and software validation.
Modular indoor testing for robots and drones
Reconfigurable indoor testing space sized for autonomous ground systems, drone work, and robotics validation. Repeatable, controlled conditions — repeatability you can't get outdoors — for scale validation before live deployment.
Outdoor testing grounds for robots and drones
Access to outdoor testing facilities in the region — Facilities for road testing, field testing, and wooded area testing. Real-world environmental conditions for outdoor robot, drone, and autonomous platform validation under repeatable plot configurations.
Production-scale deployment network
Beyond testing the region includes access to multiple scale up environments. — the next step after controlled-condition validation, where platforms prove themselves at commercial deployment scale.
Fuel the future of autonomous systems and robotics. We are seeking visionary corporate sponsors and industry leaders to anchor the Proving Grounds track. By partnering with Western Research Parks, your organization gains direct visibility, early access to disruptive robotics and autonomous platforms, and a front-row seat to the region's premier technology scaling pipeline.
Inquire about track sponsorship →Lab. Indoor. Outdoor. Field.
Sustainable advancement. Dual-use ready.
Sustainable advancement, by design.
The autonomous platforms deployed here are electric (Monarch, Naïo), solar-powered (FarmDroid), or precision-engineered to reduce herbicide, fuel use, and labour exposure. Founding cohort companies aren't just building robots — they're building the systems that decarbonize food production at scale.
A working autonomous platform ecosystem.
This ecosystem gives companies places to test advanced systems in real-world conditions, from outdoor environments to specialized indoor facilities. By testing technologies where they will actually be used, companies can improve performance, identify issues early, and ensure their hardware and software are ready for commercial and dual-use applications.
Dual-use ready, by design.
Autonomous ground and aerial platforms developed here have direct application beyond the field: perimeter monitoring, ISR, autonomous logistics, infrastructure inspection, and AI-enabled sensing. Proving Grounds is structured to support Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy priorities — dual-use autonomy, sovereign AI, and Canadian-built platforms.
Get Real World Ready.
Beyond the lab, innovators have access to specialized testing environments that help prove their technologies in real-world conditions. Whether in industrial or clinical settings, these spaces provide the validation needed to turn promising research into products ready for market.
Interested in head-to-head testing? Western Research Parks is looking for partners to create the ultimate proving ground competition for the in-field investor moment that no slide deck can match. Follow the set up a meeting button to get involved.
See the lab. Walk the field. Be the first cohort.
Proving Grounds is a program you understand by seeing the platforms in motion. The integration lab is in Discovery Park; the outdoor testing grounds are twenty minutes away. We're recruiting the founding cohort now — the companies who'll define what this validation pipeline becomes.
Set up a meeting now →