£3.M DASA competition launched

Land July 19, 2023

A new DASA competition has been launched to find novel and innovative proposals to develop and improve explosives and weapons detection capabilities.

This £3.1M competition is part of the Innovative Research Call (IRC) 2023 for Explosives and Weapons Detection, a cross-government programme that seeks proposals from industry and academia for the screening of people and/or their possessions, goods, vehicles, and buildings and areas. This collaboration is one of the links the UK has with the US through science and innovation. IRC is using DASA to access the market because of their wealth of experience.

An IRC spokesperson said: “There are some very innovative people out there. We are looking to draw in some fresh concepts and approaches to be developed into technologies that help keep our borders and communities safe from threats. “

“We are always impressed with the ingenuity and ideas and are hoping that this will stimulate some remarkable techniques.”

The competition will take place in two phases. Up to £1M is available in Phase 1 with proposal bids in the region of £70,000 per proposal. Projects will run for six months to develop proof of concept. Proposals of a higher value will be considered if appropriately justified. Proposals of higher technical readiness that do not require Phase 1 funding will need to submit their proposals in Phase 1 in anticipation of Phase 2 funding.

Around £2.1M will be available for proposals in Phase 2. Projects will need to develop and complete their prototypes or demonstrators by the end of May 2026.

The deadline for Phase 1 proposal submissions is midday 30 August 2023.

Do you have an innovation? Read the full competition document and submit a proposal.

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copetition DASA explosives IRC weapons