£16 million boost to support defence innovation

Silhouette of soldier using drone and laptop computer for scouting during military operation.

A £16 million programme to boost small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) defence innovation has been launched today.

Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP)

With the innovation of SMEs, the resources of big suppliers and initial funding from government, DTEP is designed to bring the key components together to allow pioneering projects to flourish.

The aim is to keep the UK at the forefront of defence technology, improving the capabilities available to our armed forces, and providing some of these to the global market.

Working with Innovate UK

The programme is delivered by the Ministry of Defence’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), working with Innovate UK.

Individual grants of up to 50% of a project’s value, to a maximum of £500,000 per grant, will be available through DTEP for collaborative projects between SMEs and larger suppliers.

The grants will support the integration of novel technologies, materials and processes into defence supply chains.

Further information

DASA is a key partner in Innovate UK’s plan for action.

Access the DTEP portal.

Top image:  Credit: vadimrysev, iStock, Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Help us improve your experience by taking three minutes to tell us what you think of the UKRI website. You can also let us know if you have specific feedback or you can join UKRI’s research panel.