UK MOD science and technology challenge opens for entries

Defence Minister Lord Drayson has officially opened the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) Grand Challenge, a groundbreaking science and technology competition to discover new ideas for a system to improve the detection of threats - from roadside bombs to rooftop gunmen - faced by soldiers patrolling in urban areas.

The Grand Challenge invites innovators to compete for the chance to create a system that will deliver benefit for UK Armed Forces on the front line. Entrants have a year to work up their prototypes, which will need to combine the latest technologies, before a competitive trial at the MOD's urban training area at Copehill Down, Wiltshire, to find the winner.

The launch event coincides with National Science and Engineering Week, which aims to celebrate science, engineering and technology and its importance in our lives. In keeping with this, the Grand Challenge will engage a wider range of scientists and innovators than normal in the technological challenges thrown up by defence issues.

Defence Minister Lord Drayson:

The MOD is already one of this country's largest investors in research and development, spending around £2.5 billion a year. The Grand Challenge is about encouraging a fresh approach, introducing new ideas from new players in the game, and energising a willingness from industry to invest in ideas that are radical and exciting.

We seek to provide our Armed Forces with the best equipment and technology available. I was in Iraq last week and talked to some of the troops there about their kit. I heard how important the latest technologies are to them, keeping them safe and helping them operate more effectively. That's what this challenge is about - looking for new ways of getting innovative systems to the front line that will really give them an edge.

More information is available on the UK MOD Grand Challenge website.

Source: UK MOD DCB

To find out how your company can successfully compete for procurement opportunities with the UK MOD, contact Jeffrey Strategic.