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Funding competition - Affordable space-based capability

  • Status: Open

  • Key features: This CDE themed competition seeks proof-of-concept research proposals for novel technologies that could lead to a step change in UK military space-based capability or substantially reduce the cost of the systems.

  • Programme: SBRI

  • Award: Up to £1m

  • Opens: 22 Oct 2014

  • Registration closes: No deadline

  • Closes: 06 Jan 2015

  • Support phone number: 0300 321 4357

Register And Apply

Summary

Up to £1m of funding is available for this two phase competition.

MOD's Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) proves the value of novel, high-risk, high-potential-benefit research sourced from the broadest possible range of science and technology providers, including academia and small companies, to enable development of cost-effective capability advantage for UK Armed Forces and national security. 

This competition will fund exploratory studies and demonstrations to develop concepts and technologies required for delivering a UK space-based military capability. A smaller number of successful projects will be taken forward for further development.

Areas of particular interest include:

  • technologies providing wide-area surveillance combined with ways of detecting small objects of interest
  • technologies providing very frequent or persistent coverage to observe short-lived events 
  • methods for detecting concealed objects
  • technologies to provide secure communications using hand-held terminals from hard-to-reach locations 
  • secure use of existing commercial space infrastructures

The MOD are also interested in reducing build and operating costs. Cost reduction should be achieved without reducing reliability or assurance of systems. Proposals are particularly welcome which investigate the use of:

  • novel platform technologies, including on-orbit propulsion and power systems, but excluding launch
  • novel payload technologies, including deployable structures

This competition will be briefed at the CDE Innovation Network event on Tuesday, 18 November 2014 - register for the briefing event

See further details, including call documentation.  

This CDE themed competition will close on Thursday, 6 January 2015 at 5pm.

All proposals must be submitted via the CDE Portal.

Application process and supporting downloads

This competition is run by the Centre for Defence Enterprise. 
  • Opens: 22 October 2014
  • Closes: 6 January 2015
  • Contracts awarded: TBC

Further information

 

Channel website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/innovate-uk

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