A Joint Effort – Phase 2

Overview

This Phase 2 competition continues to seek innovations that will accelerate the integration of advanced materials onto military platforms. These materials may be monolithic, composite or functionally graded depending on the application. They may have been manufactured using conventional or advanced manufacture techniques, including additive manufacture.

Developments of particular interest for this competition include:

• enabling new material combinations
• novel approaches to the integration of advanced or novel materials
• increasing durability of joints in military operating conditions
• joints that allow easier modification/replacement of components or sub-systems on a platform
• health and usage monitoring of joints

Scope

Like Phase 1, Phase 2 intends to fund proof-of-concepts that address one or more of the challenges outlined below but to a higher level of maturity. Key requirements that apply across all the challenges for creating and managing joints on military platforms are:

• creating effective joints in real-world conditions (for example with surface contamination or repairing damaged material)
• developing techniques that are cost effective (whether this is by reducing manufacturing costs or via through-life savings)
• considering the fire, smoke and toxicity performance of materials and interfaces
• developing joining approaches that are light weight compared to current methods

Your proposal should include:

• innovation and/or novel ideas for defence
• fundamental advances in material science and engineering
• clear evidence of how the proposed work builds on Phase 1, existing published or open knowledge
• consideration of the operating environments experienced by in-service military equipment
• a focus on solving key material problems rather than a focus on complex systems
• a pathway to future exploitation, including identifying key partners
• a clear description of the benefit and advantages of your approach
• evidence that it will enhance or build defence capability
• approaches which leverage expertise of both Australian and British organisations

Eligibility

DASA seek proposals from both industry and academia on the topic of novel methods for the integration of advanced materials onto military platforms.

Applicants who were unsuccessful in Phase 1 may submit proposals, providing they can show maturation of their initial Phase 1 proposals. New applicants who did not participate in the Phase 1 competition are also welcome to submit.

Funding Costs

The Phase 2 funding of £500k is expected to fund 3-5 proposals for the UK / rest of World outside of Australia competition.

In parallel, there is a Phase 2 competition for Australian-led proposals with funding of A$1m.

The upper-limit for this competition for a single proposal is £250k. Bids are anticipated to be in the range of £100k to £170k and will be rejected if they exceed £250k.

If successful, Phase 2 contracts will be awarded for a duration of between 9 to 24 months.

Exclusions

For this competition DASA are not interested in proposals that:

• are consultancy, paper-based studies or literature reviews
• offer solutions that do not provide significant benefit to defence
• cannot demonstrate proof-of-concept / feasibility within the Phase 2 timescale
• only offer minor improvements in existing high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) (6+) technologies
• are demonstrations of off-the-shelf products requiring no experimental development
• are identical resubmission of a previous bid to DASA or MOD without modification
• offer no real long-term prospect of integration into defence capabilities
• offer no real prospect of out-competing existing technological solutions
• are not compliant with extant legislation, e.g. health, safety and environmental
• include AUS-UK collaboration without a clear outline of the benefits to the project

For more information and how to apply, you can view the full DASA competition document here.