Innovators: your country needs you

Fund launched

The UK’s defence procurement minister Paul Drayson unveiled the Defence Technology Strategy (DTS), for encouraging innovation in the defence sector and launched a £10 million Competition of Ideas to fund new research in prediction, protection, object recognition and networking.

"This strategy will help the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and industry plan future investment in R&D,” said Drayson. “In particular, it allows us to identify clear R&D priorities, including those areas in which we believe it is important to maintain sovereign control, highlight opportunities for collaboration, and provide long-term support to the UK's science and technology skill base."

Drayson also announced a Grand Challenge to innovators to produce a system that can detect, identify, monitor and report a comprehensive range of physical threats in a complex urban environment. Both of these challenges to innovators are designed to stimulate free-ranging innovation from the widest possible science and technology base.

Drayson, who was the founder and CEO of PowderJect Pharmaceuticals, said, “As someone with a background in business and scientific research, I am well aware how difficult it is for smaller companies and research laboratories to get large organisations interested in their ideas. Through the Grand Challenge and the competition of ideas, I believe we will make it much easier for them to approach MOD."

Drayson also unveiled new programmes to support research by graduates into emerging technologies. This initiative will encourage and support young people in science and technology careers and has the support of leading research and academic organisations in the UK.

The DTS, developed in collaboration with industry and academia, sets out the defence technologies which are vital to the UK's military interest. With an annual spend of approximately £2.6 billion the MOD is one of the largest government investors in R&D. The strategy sets out in detail those technologies which it believes should be supported and brought from concept to front line delivery more quickly.

The Competition of Ideas is an internet-based competition to attract original ideas from individuals, academia and SMEs and aims to encourage innovators to suggest practical solutions to specific technical challenges. Ideas which have promise will receive funding of up to £300,000 to demonstrate their potential under controlled conditions.