- Keeping the UK at the forefront of defence technology
- Joining innovations and up to 50% of government funding with
large suppliers
- Grants of up to £500,000 available per project
With the innovation of SMEs, the resources of big suppliers and
initial funding from government, the Defence Technology
Exploitation Programme (DTEP) is designed to bring the key
components together to allow pioneering projects to flourish.
The aim is to keep the United Kingdom at the forefront of defence
technology, improving the capabilities available to our Armed
Forces, the competitiveness of UK industry and growing potential
exports benefits.
Individual grants of up to 50% of a project’s value – to a
maximum of £500,000 per grant - will be available through DTEP
for collaborative projects between SMEs and larger suppliers,
supporting the integration of novel technologies, materials and
processes into MOD’s supply chains.
DTEP will be open for proposals year-round, with cycles closing
at 3-month intervals for assessment of submissions.
Defence Minister said:
Innovation within defence is crucial to maintaining competitive
advantage for our Armed Forces.
The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme is a positive step
in how we support SMEs and larger suppliers to work together to
improve the resilience and competitiveness of the MOD’s supply
chain.
Today’s launch builds upon the successful BEIS-funded National
Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) and a pilot
of DTEP conducted with Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI). An
example of work supported by this pilot is CCP Gransden, based
near Ballygowan, collaborating with Thales and Ulster University
on a project to replace the Starstreak surface-to-air missile
system’s metallic canister with a composite version – reducing
reliance on global supply chains for the over 50 components
currently needed.
Head of the Defence and Security Accelerator, Anita
Friend said:
DTEP has been designed to help SMEs join defence supply chains
and offers SMEs and larger suppliers the opportunity to come
together to solve defence problems.
For an SME, DTEP offers not only funding but also the opportunity
to deliver new innovations into the UK defence supply chain and a
way to develop and scale up their business. DTEP is also
beneficial for larger companies, offering early access to new
technologies or processes that they may be able to help
commercialise.
Applications to DTEP can be made by UK-based SMEs looking to form
a collaboration with a UK-based higher-tier supplier to help
integrate and take the novel solution to market. The key areas of
interest for proposals are set out in detail on the DTEP portal
and are aligned with the recently published Defence Capability
Framework.
DASA DTEP Business Relationship Managers will be available at all
steps of the process, from project formation until after project
completion. They will support SMEs through signposting, mentoring
and offering other support services.
DTEP will be delivered by the MOD’s Defence and Security
Accelerator (DASA), in partnership with the Innovate UK group,
and it is a core commitment in the Defence and Security
Industrial Strategy and SME Action Plan.
Background
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The DTEP page can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-defence-technology-exploitation-programme
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The specific areas of interest follow the MOD’s Enduring
Capability Challenges. More information can be found in the
Defence Capability Framework here.
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More details on the CCP Gransden, Thales and Ulster
University programme can be found here.
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Innovate UK is the UK’s innovation agency. The Innovate UK
group is an ecosystem of expertise, funding, and powerful
connections driving value through innovation. Innovate UK and
Innovate UK KTN are working in close partnership with the MOD
and DASA on the delivery of the DTEP programme.
