Annual report 10/11 - Dstl

Image courtesy of the Motorsport Industry Association and AT&T Williams F1.profile: Stimulating ideasTo maintain the winning edge on thebattlefield, our armed forces musthave access to the latest technologyinnovations. This means being ableto draw on the huge technologyinvestments in the civil sector as wellas the defence sector to deliver costeffectivesolutions.The Centre for Defence Enterprise(CDE), which is run by Dstl, is thefirst point of contact for anyone witha new innovation that has a potentialdefence application. CDE is open toall organisations – whether new to thedefence market or established suppliers.Around 60 per cent of CDE contractsare signed with small to medium-sizedenterprises.CDE provides opportunities to attractcivil technologies into the defencemarket and to widen the supplier base.For suppliers, this approach providesa route into the defence market andvisibility of MOD requirements andchallenges.Contracts awarded are typically £30,000to £100,000 for short, sharp studiesto assess potential and inform fundingdecisions. Successful projects areconsidered for further funding underMOD’s research programme or theequipment programme.CDE operates a standing open callfor proposals and themed calls thataddress a specific requirement. Tostimulate proposals, CDE hosts a widerange of events across the UK. In2010/11, CDE undertook six generalbriefings, 11 themed call launchseminars and more than 100 one-to-onesurgery appointments. Around 1600delegates attended these events, whichinvolved working across governmentdepartments, trade bodies and devolvedauthorities.In the past 12 months, more than 1000proposals have been received throughthe CDE portal and approximately10 per cent have been selected forfunding worth a total of £6 million. Onesuch contract has involved engineeringfirm Cosworth, which secured CDEfunding to transfer technology originallydeveloped to monitor and assessFormula 1 motor sport crashes intoarmoured vehicles. This would enableinstant and accurate assessment inthe event of blast attack – providinginformation on any injuries inflictedas well as any hidden damage to thevehicles. The work was successfullycompleted and is now being consideredfor further development by DE&S.21