The UK’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is launching a competition to find proposals that can quickly deliver practical, large-scale impact. These include wide-area sense and detect technologies that can detect threats such as adversary RF emitters, adversary ISR assets, e.g., drones, vehicles, or personnel, and adversary weapons in flight, such as mortars, rockets, and artillery. They seek scalable solutions designed for production at competitive prices that can be demonstrated in a relevant environment within three months of contract award to inform future procurement decisions.
This competition will run continuously over three rapid cycles from July 18, 2024, to December 3, 2024. Proposals submitted by the end of each cycle will be assessed using the DASA evaluation process, with successful proposals moving directly to the contracting phase.
The total funding available for all successful bids across the three cycles of this competition is £2 million (excluding VAT). Funded proposals are expected to range from £50,000 to £200,000, and multiple proposals may be selected for funding.
For this competition, DASA seeks technology outputs and demonstrations at a minimum technology readiness level (TRL) 6, delivered no later than three months from the contract start date.
This competition has four challenges. In addition to brand-new innovations, it welcomes proposals that present an innovative approach to repurposing existing products. These products may not yet have been tested for the specified purposes but are expected to apply successfully to these challenges. The challenges include:
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Novel and enhanced scale complex manufacture of materiel
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Wide-area sense and detect
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Innovative solutions for minefield breaching
- Novel ideas to benefit end-users working in defence and security
For additional information, please visit Competition Document: Innovation in Support of Operations.
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