Partner With ODA
ODA works with Founding Members, Strategic Partners, Ecosystem Partners, and event sponsors to support Ontario’s defence and dual-use ecosystem while preserving institutional neutrality, public trust, and clear governance boundaries.
The Ontario Defence Association works with aligned organizations that want to support Ontario’s defence, dual-use, advanced manufacturing, technology, aerospace, cyber, security, workforce, innovation, and supply-chain ecosystem.
ODA engagement pathways are structured to support member value, sector-building, ecosystem development, industry readiness, and Ontario’s role in Canadian and allied defence supply chains — while preserving ODA’s institutional neutrality and public trust.
Founding Members and Strategic Partners are also showcased inside the ODA Member Hub — with logo placement on the members’ welcome screen and a rotating partner spotlight — putting your brand in front of Ontario’s defence and dual-use community every time a member signs in.
Download the ODA partnership brochure
A concise, print-ready overview of the four ways organizations can engage with ODA — Founding Member, Strategic Partner, Ecosystem Partner, and Event Sponsor — including who each pathway is for, representative benefits, and the safeguards that apply across every engagement.
Founding Members
Founding Member participation is limited and is by invitation or strategic discussion — not an open sponsorship product.
Who this is for
Founding Members are a limited group of formative institutional supporters that make a significant multi-year commitment to help establish, stabilize, and scale the Ontario Defence Association during its launch and growth phase. This pathway is intended for organizations with strong alignment to ODA’s long-term mission and the capacity to contribute meaningfully to Ontario’s defence and dual-use industrial ecosystem.
Founding Members are organizations that make a formative multi-year contribution to help establish the Ontario Defence Association as a credible, sustainable, province-wide defence and dual-use industry association. They support ODA’s creation, stability, and long-term operating capacity while helping strengthen Ontario’s defence-industrial ecosystem.
- Recognition as a Founding Member of ODA
- Prominent institutional recognition in appropriate ODA materials
- Recognition on the ODA website, subject to ODA approval and publication timing
- Recognition in selected ODA event or conference materials
- Opportunity to participate in an advisory or council-type structure where appropriate
- Early visibility into ODA’s development priorities
- Relationship access to ODA leadership for strategic alignment discussions
- Potential recognition in annual reporting or founding partner materials
- Opportunity to help shape high-level ecosystem priorities through approved advisory channels
- General year-round association visibility, subject to ODA communications standards
Strategic Partners
Who this is for
Strategic Partners are organizations that provide annual or multi-year support, or approved strategic in-kind value, to advance ODA’s programming, member value, sector-building activities, and ecosystem convening role. This pathway is intended for organizations that want a year-round relationship with ODA and can support practical member value, programming, industry engagement, knowledge-sharing, or ecosystem development.
Strategic Partners support ODA’s year-round member value, programming, convening, and ecosystem-development activities through an annual or multi-year partnership. They help ODA deliver practical value to Ontario’s defence and dual-use ecosystem while supporting the association’s long-term operating capacity.
- Recognition as an ODA Strategic Partner
- Year-round branding and visibility in appropriate ODA channels
- Website recognition, subject to ODA approval and publication timing
- LinkedIn recognition, subject to communications standards
- Event recognition where relevant
- Banner or visual recognition where relevant and appropriate
- Access to relevant working groups or discussion forums, subject to ODA discretion
- Opportunity to collaborate on relevant member-value initiatives
- Thought-leadership or knowledge-sharing opportunities where relevant
- Opportunity to support ODA programming, member education, or ecosystem-building activities
Ecosystem Partners
No-fee reciprocal collaboration — no paid sponsorship obligations or commercial exclusivity.
Who this is for
Ecosystem Partners are no-fee reciprocal collaborators that support awareness, programming reach, member value, regional connectivity, sector expertise, and broader ecosystem engagement. This pathway is intended for organizations such as colleges and universities; research and technology organizations; economic development organizations; regional innovation centres; workforce partners; industry associations; accelerators and incubators; municipal or regional ecosystem organizations; sector-specific collaborators; and non-commercial partners that can support member value or Ontario-wide defence-industrial development.
Ecosystem Partners are reciprocal collaborators that help extend ODA’s reach, strengthen regional and sector connectivity, and support awareness of defence and dual-use opportunities across Ontario’s industrial ecosystem — expanding reach and connectivity without creating paid sponsorship obligations or commercial exclusivity.
- Recognition as an Ecosystem Partner where appropriate
- Reciprocal promotion of relevant initiatives
- Joint awareness-building where appropriate
- Participation in selected ODA initiatives where relevant
- Potential collaboration on 2–4 joint initiatives per year, where mutually useful
- Sector or regional connectivity
- Referral pathways between ODA and the partner organization
- Participation in relevant ecosystem-building activities
- Potential involvement in non-commercial member-value activities
- Relationship coordination with ODA leadership or program staff
Event Sponsors
Who this is for
Event Sponsors are organizations that want visibility and engagement around specific ODA events, forums, receptions, briefings, programs, or conference-linked activities. This pathway is appropriate for organizations seeking event-based visibility rather than a broader year-round Strategic Partner relationship. Event sponsorship may apply to Best Defence Conference-related opportunities, ODA member briefings, industry forums, regional receptions, supplier-readiness programming, ODIS-aligned ecosystem events, working group sessions where appropriate, and approved member-value events.
Event Sponsors support selected ODA events, forums, programs, and conference-linked activities that bring together Ontario’s defence and dual-use ecosystem. Event sponsorship provides event-specific visibility and engagement opportunities while supporting ODA’s role in convening industry, partners, and stakeholders around Ontario’s defence-industrial priorities.
- Recognition as an event sponsor
- Event-specific logo or name recognition
- Website recognition on the relevant event page, where appropriate
- Recognition in event materials
- On-site signage or screen recognition, where applicable
- Social media or newsletter recognition, subject to ODA communications standards
- Opportunity to support a specific event, reception, briefing, panel, or program component
- Sponsor acknowledgement during the event, where appropriate
- Exhibit, display, or showcase opportunities where included in the specific event package
- Conference or event passes where included in the specific sponsorship package
- Post-event recognition or thank-you inclusion, where appropriate
How ODA partners
Safeguards for all engagement pathways
Across every engagement pathway, ODA preserves its institutional neutrality and public trust. Partnership and sponsorship do not provide governance authority, procurement influence or preference, guaranteed contracts or business outcomes, exclusive commercial rights, guaranteed speaking slots, member-list access, ODA endorsement of products or services, or authority to represent ODA. All benefits are provided at ODA’s discretion and are subject to relevance, capacity, good standing, brand-use and public-recognition approval, conflict-of-interest safeguards, and applicable agreement terms.
Recognition as a Founding Member, Strategic Partner, Ecosystem Partner, or Event Sponsor does not imply ODA endorsement, procurement preference, government approval, member-list access, or authority to represent ODA. All public recognition is subject to ODA approval and communications standards.
Explore partnership with ODA
Tell us about your organization and the pathway you’re interested in. The ODA team will follow up to discuss alignment.