A £16 million programme to boost defence innovation utilising the UK’s SMEs has been announced by the UK Government.

With the innovation of SMEs, the resources of big suppliers and initial funding from government, the Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) is designed to bring the key components together to boost pioneering projects.

The aim of the project is to keep Britain at the forefront of defence technology, improving the capabilities available to the country’s Armed Forces, the competitiveness of UK industry and growing potential exports benefits.

Individual grants of up to 50% of a project’s value – to a maximum of £500,000 – will be available through DTEP for collaborative projects between SMEs and larger suppliers, supporting the integration of novel technologies, materials and processes into the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD’s) supply chains.

DTEP will be open for proposals year-round, with cycles closing at three-month intervals for assessment of submissions. It will be delivered by the MOD’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), in partnership with the Innovate UK group, and it is a core commitment in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy and SME Action Plan.

Commenting on the news, Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: “Innovation within defence is crucial to maintaining competitive advantage for our Armed Forces.

“The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme is a positive step in how we support SMEs and larger suppliers to work together to improve the resilience and competitiveness of the MOD’s supply chain.”

The launch builds upon the successful BEIS-funded National Aerospace Technology Exploitation Programme (NATEP) and a pilot of DTEP conducted with Invest Northern Ireland (Invest NI).

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Head of the Defence and Security Accelerator, Anita Friend said: “DTEP has been designed to help SMEs join defence supply chains and offers SMEs and larger suppliers the opportunity to come together to solve defence problems.

“For an SME, DTEP offers not only funding but also the opportunity to deliver new innovations into the UK defence supply chain and a way to develop and scale up their business. DTEP is also beneficial for larger companies, offering early access to new technologies or processes that they may be able to help commercialise.”

Applications to DTEP can be made by UK-based SMEs looking to form a collaboration with a UK-based higher-tier supplier to help integrate and take the novel solution to market.

The key areas of interest for proposals are set out in detail on the DTEP portal and are aligned with the recently published Defence Capability Framework.

DASA DTEP Business Relationship Managers will be available at all steps of the process, from project formation until after project completion. They will support SMEs through signposting, mentoring, and offering other support services.

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