The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada's Canada-Asia Joint Research Grants program aims to energize research partnerships between Canada and the Indo-Pacific region and supports collaborative, policy-relevant research between Canadian and Indo-Pacific institutions.
Three projects were selected from APF Canada’s recent round of applications.
The Montreal Institute for Global Security (MIGS) developed the concept for a Canada-Japan Subsea Cable Security Partnership. The project focused on strengthening Canada’s preparedness for subsea cable attacks and the potential implications for Japan, one of Ottawa’s key security and defence partners in the Indo-Pacific. Read the March 2026 report, below.
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) will explore the geopolitical and security dimensions of resource supply chains that have become more fraught, compelling liberal democracies to develop new partnerships and strategies for maintaining their security of supply. This project will focus on building a Canada-Australia resource alliance and the instruments of economic statecraft that would make such an alliance successful.
The University of Montreal will organize a Canada–Asia Arctic Law and Policy Dialogue in Singapore, focusing on showcasing Canada’s expertise and leadership in Arctic governance and promoting the rule-based international order in the Arctic. The dialogue will foster mutual understanding of common environmental challenges and potential economic opportunities between Canada and the five Asian Arctic Council Observer countries – China, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.
Projects are selected for their alignment with Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS), their potential to generate policy-relevant insights, and their focus on building enduring, cross-regional research partnerships.
The call for applications will re-open in February 2027.
For inquiries, email applications@asiapacific.ca
Projects Selected from APF Canada’s 2026-2027 Applications
The University of Saskatchewan will work with several partners in India to develop a framework for implementing Canada-India critical minerals co-operation at the sub-national (provincial) and institutional levels.
The University of British Columbia, working with university partners in Malaysia and Singapore, will conduct a series of public opinion surveys in six Southeast Asian countries to better understand citizens’ views and preferences on middle power co-operation.
The Canadian Global Affairs Institute will partner with Australia-based Verve Research to explore preferences in Southeast Asian countries’ defence industries and how Canada and Australia can co-ordinate their approaches to respond to regional countries’ security needs.
Reports from 2025-2026 Canada-Asia Joint Research Grant Recipients:
Securing the Seabed: A Canada–Japan Strategy for Undersea Cable Resilience – by Montreal Institute for Global Security Senior Fellow Jonathan Berkshire Miller, developed under the Canada–Japan Subsea Cable Security Partnership project with support from APF Canada through the Canada–Asia Joint Research Grants program.
Canada–Asia Arctic Law and Policy Dialogue – by The University of Montreal included a Canada–Asia Arctic Law and Policy Dialogue in Singapore, focusing on showcasing Canada’s expertise and leadership in Arctic governance, promoting the rule-based international order in the Arctic, and fostering mutual understanding of common environmental challenges and potential economic opportunities between Canada and the five Asian Arctic Council Observer countries – China, India, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.
The Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) explored the geopolitical and security dimensions of resource supply chains, which have become more fraught, compelling liberal democracies to develop new partnerships and strategies to maintain their security of supply. This project focused on building a Canada-Australia resource alliance and the instruments of economic statecraft that would make such an alliance successful. (Report forthcoming)
Reports from 2024-2025 Canada-Asia Joint Research Grant Recipients:
- Bhutan’s Melting Glaciers and Water Management – Nick Sheffield, Ratana Ly, and Victor V. Ramraj, Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives (CAPI), University of Victoria
- Les stratégies pour l’Indo-Pacifique vues de l’Indo-Pacifique : perceptions, positionnements et perspectives critiques – Alexandre Veilleux, Senior Program Manager, Montreal, APF Canada; (CÉRIUM)
- Les cinq p de la sécurité économique – Ari Van Assche (HEC Montreal) et Yaxin Zhou (University of Montreal); (CÉRIUM)
- Indo-Pacifique : répercussions de l’évolution des tensions Sino-Américaines sur les politiques étrangères dans la région – Jozef Rivest (Université de Montréal) et Yann Roche (Université du Québec à Montréal); (CÉRIUM)
- Enjeux socio-économiques et politiques en Indo-Pacifique - perspectives transversales et intersectionnelles – Margaux Maurel (HEC Montréal) et Dominique Caouette (Université de Montréal); (CÉRIUM)
