Future Economy & Security Group (FESG)

A BSIA-led expert body for Canada’s prosperity, power, and security in the digital age.

The rules of global power are being rewritten, not in shipping lanes or oil markets, but in data flows, digital platforms, and the governance of emerging technologies.

Trade policies, national security strategies, and economic planning were all built for a tangible, industrial economy. The new global landscape is intangible and strategic involving algorithms, AI, cross-border data flows, and the monetization of intellectual property.

Countries risk having future economies shaped by foreign powers and multinational platforms, and not by democratic choices.

The Future Economy and Security Group at the BSIA is a rapid-response brain trust for intangible economy and the critical strategic sectors driving prosperity and sovereignty.

Why BSIA?

The Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA)—Canada’s hub for interdisciplinary, innovative and technology-driven approaches to public policy leadership—has the people, networks, and credibility to underpin the Future Economy and Security Group. It offers:

Global policy reach – Our faculty and fellows have advised the WTO, UN, OECD, NATO, and G7 on trade, digital governance, and security.
Deep technical and legal expertise – In AI governance, blockchain regulation, IP strategy, cybersecurity, platform economics, and international trade law.
Cross-sector capacity – Experts in energy, defence, transformative technologies, trade law, economics, and intangible asset valuation all in one network.
Comparative insight – Direct experience with EU AI Act, U.S. NIST RMF, WTO, and Geopolitical and military Security frameworks, and regulatory models from the Global North and South.
Proven convening power – BSIA regularly brings government, industry, and academia to the same table to shape actionable policy.

Core functions:

On-Call Policy Intelligence – urgent, evidence-based advice for ministers and senior officials.
Negotiation Support – deep technical and legal backup for trade, tech-transfer, and security talks.
Foresight & Early Warning – spotting risks and opportunities before they dominate the news cycle.
Global Benchmarking – measuring national competitiveness and governance against peer and rival nations.

Contact the FESG

Coverage Areas

Transformative Technologies
Defence & Strategic Security
International Trade and Intangibles
Supply Chains & Critical resources
Digital finance and CBDCs in the Future Economy
Intangibles Infrastructure in the Future Economy
Data sovereignty and cross-border rules
Global Trust Building
Indigenous Leadership and Sovereignty in the Future Economy
Smart contracts and blockchain infrastructure
Complex supply chain security
Platform regulation and market restructuring
Quantum, geospatial, and bio-data governance

The digital era and strategic resource era demands a group that understands the intersection of technology, law, economics, security and resource strategy.

With BSIA’s deep bench of experts and global networks, the Future Economy and Security Group helps position countries not as a followers, but as rule-setters and trust builders in the future economy.