Defence Online

Defence Innovation Initiative: industry reaction

Homeland October 14, 2016

Defence Online’s Victoria Maggiani speaks exclusively to members of the defence business community about the Initiative.

This Autumn saw Defence Secretary Michael Fallon launch the Defence Innovation Initiative, a scheme to promote home-grown innovation in the defence sector. The £800M fund is backed by IRIS (innovation and research insights unit) and the Defence and Security Accelerator, with the fund available to new technology innovation, intending to support emerging and disruptive technologies for which the private sector does not adequately support research.

This isn’t just about money, it’s about partnerships. Our Whole Force – military, civilians and business people – working as one.”

The scheme encompasses many challenges set by the MOD, in both developing technology and bringing more SMEs into the defence supply chain.

At its launch, Michael Fallon praised the skills and tradition of British innovation; from development of the first tanks, to radar and jump-jets. He appealed to this tradition with the scheme, saying:

Our new Innovation Initiative will transform Defence culture to ensure that we stay ahead of the curve.”

The theory behind the initiative is that by blending innovation, imagination, ingenuity and entrepreneurship, Britain will continue with a military advantage in the future. The Innovation Initiative will transform the Ministry of Defence’s creative culture by strengthening and streamlining collaboration with both new and established partners. With support and encouragement from the MOD, it is hoped that these partnerships will encourage UK based companies, from multi-national to SMEs, and help create partnerships that will keep the UK safe and secure.

Defence Online spoke to members of the defence innovation sector, establishing how the initiative is being received by the business community and what success can be expected from such an investment.

A number of worries arose that there may be ‘innovation for innovations sake’, this was addressed by Nick Hill, CEO, Plextek, who felt the concerns were unfounded.

“I have been invited to contribute to a number of conferences and workshops on improving defence innovation in the year or so since SDSR2015, so I am very pleased to see this announcement from the Secretary of State.  In particular, I am pleased to see that some of the key themes raised by various contributors to the meetings have been reflected in the proposals.” said Nick.

“The Defence and Security Accelerator is one of the key concepts and is where some really joined up thinking has taken place. It is intended to support suppliers right through the TRL range (from concept to capability). Probably the most important text in the announcement for me is the statement that “[The Accelerator] works hand-in-hand with Government procurement bodies to pull novel solutions into service”.

“Innovation is not about invention, it is about the exploitation of invention, and the fragmented nature of the previous funding model meant that there was too much great invention that was never exploited. This function of the Accelerator should ensure that the people pushing invention and technology are properly joined up to the people who need and purchase the capability that new technology can support.”

When looking at the highly risk-averse nature of defence procurement, Mr Hill said: “It is welcome to hear the promotion of a culture that is “innovative by instinct”, one which “emphasises the willingness – indeed expectation – to accept risk responsibly across the enterprise”. The emphasis on a policy that works across the enterprise is the key to a successful outcome.

“There is a new mechanism that will seek external advice from a ‘small number of the UK’s most influential and forward-looking innovators’. Such organisations, especially SMEs, will have very strong imperative for continuous change and improvement and are used to working at great pace, so taking their view of the defence innovation environment is an important step forward.”

Next week we speak with Muir Macdonald, Managing Director of Bath-based BMT Defence Services and Alex Caccia, co-founder and CEO, Animal Dynamics, SMEs with experience of the MOD supply chain. They discuss what improvements can be made to encourage British companies to join them in exploiting defence opportunities.

Keep up-to-date with our series interviews by joining our community.

Animal Dynamics BMT Defence Services defence accelerator Defence Innovation Initiative industry Michael Fallon MOD Nick Hill CEO Plextek Plextek SDSR 2015 SME UK

Post written by: Vicky Maggiani

Vicky has worked in media for over 20 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.