By setting out specific research areas and capability
priorities, like autonomy, cyber and sensor technology,
the strategy will encourage defence to be even more
responsive to emerging opportunities and threats, whilst
promoting more innovation and collaboration with
suppliers.
The Defence Minister made the announcement while visiting
Small and Medium-Sized businesses (SMEs) in Birmingham,
one of the UK’s up-and-coming tech hubs, at EEF’s brand
new facility in the West Midlands.
Defence Minister said:
This new strategy puts world-beating science and
technology right at the core of our Armed Forces.
Investing millions into innovative ideas from dynamic
British companies will help us defend the country in
the face of intensifying threats and keep us ahead of
the curve.
A world-leading centre for life sciences, Birmingham has
over 36,800 digital jobs, with over 550 startups created
from 2011 to 2015, making it a fertile ground for new
ideas for UK Defence and Security.
Last year saw the department’s direct spend with smaller
business increase by over 10%. Many have benefitted from
the MOD’s £800 million Innovation Fund, with the
department committed to spend 1.2% of its rising defence
budget on science and technology.
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is one way
the finances are channelled, harnessing innovative ideas
to give the UK a strategic advantage in Defence and
Security through themed competitions and an ‘Open Call’
for Innovation.
Since its launch, the DASA has assessed nearly 700
proposals from almost 400 organisations and has
successfully awarded its defence portion of the ‘Open
Call’ budget for this year.
Ideas have included computer games to help military units
develop more effective tactics, a device to reduce the
noise of aircraft and vehicles and a redesigned
geolocation tracker.
Over 40% of submissions received were from SMEs that have
not engaged with defence before, reflecting the success
of the MOD efforts to make it easier for SMEs to win
defence business, maximising the innovative solutions
they can offer the Armed Forces.
Last month the Defence Minister announced the launch of
the MOD’s new Supplier Portal, which brings together for
the first time a range of useful information for new and
prospective suppliers in one place.
A new Twitter channel, @defenceproc, is also being used
to provide regular updates to suppliers on opportunities
and events that the MOD is supporting, whilst the
department also launched two simplified, plain English
short-form contracts for use in lower value less complex
procurements last year, reducing the existing baseline
terms and conditions from 18 pages to three.
The new Science and Technology Strategy will be led by
the MOD’s Chief Scientific Adviser Hugh Durrant-Whyte,
who joined this year following a career at the forefront
of the robotics sector in Australia.
