Open Call for Innovation

Key Features

The Open Call is one of the funding competition mechanisms DASA uses to find proposals that address challenges faced by government stakeholders.

Programme:     DASA

Award:     No funding limit

Opens: 20th Oct 2021

Closes: 5th Jan 2022

! This scheme is now closed

Overview

The Open Call is one of the funding competition mechanisms DASA uses to find proposals that address challenges faced by government stakeholders. It gives bidders the opportunity to present their ideas to defence and security stakeholders at any time, without waiting for a relevant Themed Competition.

What are they looking for?

The Open Call is looking for innovative ideas to improve the defence and/or security of the UK. Your idea could be a concept, technology or service. Our Emerging Innovations category is for less mature innovations, and our Rapid Impact category is for innovations that are more developed.

Defence Requirements

Suppliers may submit proposals to address any defence challenge or a specific Innovation Focus Area and can submit under either Emerging Innovations or Defence Rapid Impact.

Security Requirements

Suppliers may submit proposals under the Security Rapid Impact category to address any security challenge.

It is expected that some proposals will be relevant to both defence and security.

Innovation Focus Areas

Whilst DASA are interested in funding all sorts of projects, they also have some innovation focus areas which are enduring challenges faced by our defence and security customers. They are often broad in scope and will always be open for a minimum of two open call cycles. If you are interested in any of the innovation focus areas, please check the relevant IFA unique identifier number when creating your submission.

For further information on this project, please click here.

Funding Costs

No funding limit is specified, however DASA would typically expect to fund bids between £100K – £350K. Your project must complete by March 2024.

Project Assessment

Your proposal will be assessed by subject matter experts across government against a common set of assessment criteria.

After an initial sifting process, experts from Dstl, MOD, the Home Office, the Department for Transport and wider UK government will assess your proposal.

Assessment criteria is available to view here.

For further information on this open call – please click here.

Emerging innovations

Emerging innovations are viewed as those which will deliver a proof of concept at around Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or 4.

Proof of concept might include component and/or sub-system validation in laboratory-style environment. Successful projects may be candidates for follow-on funding in the Rapid Impact Innovation category, although other funding opportunities may be available.

The majority of successful projects start at TRL 2 or 3, which means the basic concept has been formulated and the underpinning technological principles observed at the outset. No funding limit is specified, however DASA would typically expect to fund bids between £50K – £100K that last between 3 and 10 months.

Defence Rapid Impact

Defence Rapid Impact are viewed as those which will deliver a technology model or prototype demonstration at around Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or 7.

This demonstration should be at a limited scale, in the hands of end users, and in the context or environment in which it is expected that the solution would be used. To be successful it will also have to provide evidence of how other MOD/Security business and capability requirements, such as the Defence Lines of Development (DLOD), could be satisfied should the project to be taken forward after the pilot.

Your project should have a realistic prospect of achieving an impact within a 3 year time frame from the start of the project. Proposals will therefore only be funded if there is a strong customer requirement and capability need for the idea. Proposals could be pre-sifted from the competition prior to full assessment if user need is not explained.

No funding limit is specified, however DASA would typically expect to fund bids between £100K – £350K. Proposals that demonstrate value for money or present a collaborative funding approach will be viewed favourably.

Security Rapid Impacts have a separate criteria and a different deadline date, which can all be found here.

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