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The Defence and Security Accelerator is launching a competition to rapidly develop novel technology and techniques to boost the UK’s life-saving counter homemade bomb capability.

Invisible Shield: Countering IEDs by novel technology and techniques seeks innovative proposals to thwart adversaries, terrorists and criminals from using everyday communications items such as radios or mobile phones and networks to trigger homemade bombs and explosives.

Lieutenant Colonel Barber yesterday said:

Our adversaries readily manipulate and exploit everyday electronic and communication devices to enable improvised threats to the public as well as our military and security forces.

Enhancing the UK’s Electronic Counter Measures capability through new and novel technologies to counter complex and fast evolving threats in the electromagnetic spectrum is vital to deliver life-saving protection.

We must consider any novel or innovative solution to this challenge that has the potential to enhance our existing capability, allowing us to maintain our advantage and protect the nation, and our people, from emerging threats.

The competition, run on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and Strategic Command, is particularly looking at:

• Novel spectrum survey techniques to capture and analyse Radio Frequency signals
• Techniques to quickly and effectively neutralise target devices
• New and novel hardware and system components

The competition is expected to have at least £1.5m available in funding for Phase 1 with funding anticipated for further development in Phase 2.

DASA expects to fund up to 10 proposals during Phase 1.

A summary of the competition and requirements can be found here.

The competition will formally launch in April 2020 when full details and requirements will be released.

DASA and Dstl will be hosting a launch event in London on the 29 April 2020 where potential bidders can hear more about the competition, have 1-to-1 sessions with the project team and meet with other potential bidders with the view of partnering.

You can register to attend the launch event on Eventbrite, here.

DASA finds and funds exploitable technology to give Her Majesty’s Armed Forces and UK security a strategic advantage over adversaries while supporting the nation’s prosperity.

DASA works with scientists from Dstl, academia, and industry to rapidly develop these new technologies.