Defence and Security Accelerator Open Call for Innovation – CY2025 – Cycle 1

Key Features

The Open Call for Innovation is one of the services the Defence and Security Accelerator uses to find ideas that address challenges across both Defence and Security landscapes to give us an edge over our adversaries.

Programme:     DASA

Award:     Share of up to £250,000

Opens: 25th Feb 2025

Closes: 29th Apr 2025

! This scheme is closing soon

Overview

This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition runs as part of the Open Call for Innovation and is funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Defence Innovation Fund. It is seeking proposals for innovations which can have realistic impact across any area of UK Defence within a short timescale.

The impact could be realised in a number of ways. For example, this could be via delivering innovation into the hands of an end user, informing a future procurement or equipment programme, incorporating into a bigger capability or affecting a policy decision.  Ideas that would have little or no impact within 3 years of funding are unlikely to be funded.

The Defence Rapid Impact (DRI) competition is looking to fund innovative ideas that address both current and emerging Defence challenges. It is seeking disruptive innovations – whether technologies, materials, or concepts – that could provide a step change to Defence and give us an advantage over adversaries.

While DRI primarily targets Defence’s ‘blind spots’ (current and future unknowns), it also welcomes novel solutions to known challenges. This competition operates independently from existing MOD equipment, research and development projects or programmes.

For context on how the MOD operates and is structured, please refer to:

How Defence works – The Defence Operating Model

Scope

DASA are seeking innovative ideas relating to any aspect of UK Defence (the MOD, its Commands, Enabling Organisations and Supply Chain). The ultimate focus of DRI is to provide Defence with ideas that change or disrupt military capability and to achieve positive near future impact on our ability to have military influence and project force into the hands of the end-users.

Examples of past innovations:

Below are a number of case studies that represent projects which have previously been funded by DASA. These are intended to highlight how varying ideas for the DRI could be, rather than indicate specific areas we are interested in:

Details on the amount of funding we have previously awarded across our competitions is outlined within our transparency data.

Eligibility

DASA are interested in proposals that:

  • develop new or novel approaches to achieve existing outcomes within defence more efficiently/effectively
  • develop and demonstrate modern approach, techniques or equipment to deliver new or enhanced outcomes for Defence
  • develop current capability in a novel way to achieve efficiency or enhanced effect for Defence
  • provide evidence to the impact of the novel approach/technique across Defence
  • present a credible plan and have a realistic prospect for impact in Defence within a 3 year time frame from the completion of the project funded under the DRI
  • present a clear plan for future development and scaling, including engagement and compliance with any applicable regulatory requirements both within and outside of Defence
  • deliver a technology model or prototype demonstration at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or 7 at the end of the project. This demonstration should be at a limited scale, in the hands of users, and in the context or environment representative of an environment in which the solution would be used
  • do not exceed 24 months. We anticipate project duration to be between 12 – 18 months. Please note there is no minimum project duration
  • do not exceed £350,000. We anticipate project value to be in the region of £200,000 to £300,000. Please note there is no minimum project value
  • include a clear demonstration of how the proposed work applies to the defence context
  • provides a sound justification of why Defence should fund the development of the innovation

For further information, see briefing notes here

Exclusions

DASA are not interested in proposals that:

  • directly address other DASA themed competitions or IFAs that are currently running at the point of cycle close
  • have a TRL at end of project lower than TRL6 or higher than TRL7
  • exceed the project duration of 24 months
  • exceed £350,000 in value
  • address challenges that are not aligned to defence
  • constitute consultancy, paper-based studies or literature reviews which just summarise the existing literature without any view of future innovation
  • are an unsolicited resubmission of a previous DASA bid
  • offer demonstrations of off-the-shelf products requiring no experimental development (unless applied in a novel way to meet the defence environment)
  • offer no real long-term prospect of integration into defence capabilities
  • offer no real prospect of out-competing existing technological solutions
  • solely focus on the development of a product

Funding Costs

No funding limit is specified, however DASA would typically expect to fund bids between £100K – £250K. Proposals that demonstrate value for money will be viewed favourably.

Interested in applying for this competition?

Book an appointment to speak to one of our advisors to discuss your eligibility to apply for this Grant Funding opportunity.