A marine technology company based out of St. John’s, Newfoundland, is set to receive $2,909,891 in government grants towards their autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) project. Kraken Robotics is developing this vehicle to be used in deep sea exploration where humans are unable to go due to dangerous water pressure levels.

This $2.9M in government funding comes from the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP).

The money will be provided to Kraken over the course of 26 months. The AUV is still being developed and worked on, with the Funding providing monthly contributions towards its research and development costs.

What the $2.9M in IRAP Funding Will Go Towards

IRAP research and development funding will be put towards the company’s autonomous underwater vehicle called the ThunderFish® XL, which can dive up to 6,000 metres and features an array of sensors and custom payload modules.

“The National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP) has provided invaluable support to Kraken for many years. We sincerely appreciate their contribution to help us further develop our ThunderFish® XL AUV.”
– Karl Kenny, Kraken’s President and CEO

The vehicle will be using artificial intelligence (AI) and image recognition sensors to control its operation when performing deep-sea research and surveillance. The ThunderFish® XL will have a wide range of movement including a “zero” speed hovering mode to prevent disturbance to sea life.

Kraken is one of the leading manufacturers in developing AUV technologies, helping push the limits of underwater exploration and our knowledge of the deep sea.

Learn More About NRC-IRAP Funding

The Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP) is a federal government funding program providing grants of up to 50% of eligible costs towards research and development projects by Canadian companies.

You can learn more about funding available for research and development projects by registering for an upcoming Mentor Works webinar, where our team of government grant writers discusses upcoming R&D funding programs from the Canadian federal and provincial governments.