Defence Secretary sets out ambitious Defence Prosperity Programme

20 Mar 2019 01:46 PM

The Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson yesterday announced a new package of measures to drive productivity and innovation in the sector.

On 14 March, the Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson formally announced a package of new measures designed to drive productivity and growth in the Defence sector. The Defence Prosperity Programme follow's last year's review by Philip Dunne MP, which examined the sector's contribution to the UK economy, with a particular focus on the ecomonic impact it has within different regions across the UK. 

The package of measures announced includes:

• £500k investment from the Defence Innovation Fund for a pilot programme with industry to further strengthen the international competitiveness and productivity of the UK defence sector.
• A joint programme supported by Invest Northern Ireland and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to pilot a Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) in Northern Ireland, worth an expected £1.2m in Research and Development investment.
• A commitment to working with the Welsh Government on the potential for an Advanced Manufacturing Research Institute alongside the Defence Electronics and Components Agency (DECA) in North Wales to cement the region as a centre of excellence for innovation.

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