UK Defence Innovation is inviting disruptive technology proposals across Home Office and NPSA priority areas, with funding of up to £350,000 available – but the first cycle closes in less than four weeks.
UK Defence Innovation has relaunched its Security Open Call, inviting innovators to submit technologies and approaches that could strengthen the UK’s security, public safety and protective security capabilities. The first cycle of the relaunched competition opened on 3 August 2026 and closes on 27 August – giving businesses, academics and innovators less than four weeks to submit. Additional cycles are planned throughout 2026 and 2027 for those who miss the first deadline.
The Security Open Call is designed to move at pace and with purpose. UKDI is seeking disruptive technologies that address concrete, operationally identified challenges – not early-stage research concepts – and funded projects are expected to reach Technology Readiness Level 6 or 7 and demonstrate a realistic route to operational impact within two years of project completion. Successful proposals can secure up to £350,000, with projects running for a maximum of 12 months and an optional testing and trialling phase costed into proposals to extend activity to 18 months.
This cycle of the competition focuses on priorities identified by two specific customers: the Home Office and the National Protective Security Authority. The Home Office challenge areas span secure data sharing across policing and government, tackling online harms and cyber-enabled threats, strengthening national security resilience, understanding migration behaviours, disrupting organised immigration crime, and improving border and immigration outcomes through technology. The NPSA challenge areas cover vehicle screening, extended reality, crowd screening, hostile reconnaissance detection, AI-enabled training and intrusion detection technologies. Future cycles may reflect the priorities of different or additional government stakeholders, extending the competition’s reach across the broader security and national resilience landscape.
The application process uses a two-stage structure designed to reduce bidding burden while identifying the strongest ideas quickly. Applicants submit a Stage 1 overview proposal, which UKDI shares with the competition’s challenge owners. Ideas that demonstrate strong alignment with the focus areas, a realistic prospect of successful delivery and a clear fit with customer needs are then invited to submit a full Stage 2 proposal. Only proposals with genuine alignment to the stated challenges and strong customer demand will be funded – a design that prioritises operational relevance over volume of submissions.
UKDI’s Innovation Partners are available to support applicants throughout the process, and early engagement with a local Innovation Partner before submission is strongly recommended given the tight first-cycle deadline.
The Security Open Call sits within UKDI’s broader mission to accelerate technologies that ensure the UK is secure at home and strong abroad – and reflects the growing recognition that security and defence innovation are increasingly served by the same technology base. For companies operating in cyber, AI, data analytics, sensor technology, biometrics and advanced screening systems, the competition offers a structured, funded and relatively rapid route to demonstrating operational relevance to government security customers.
For the UK defence and security supply chain
The Security Open Call’s dual focus on Home Office and NPSA priorities is significant for a specific reason: many of the capability areas it covers – cyber resilience, AI-enabled detection, hostile reconnaissance, border security technology and intrusion detection – sit squarely within the dual-use space where defence and security innovation converge. For businesses that have been considering whether their technology has a government security application, this competition is one of the most accessible entry points available, with a manageable funding ceiling, a two-stage process designed to reduce bid burden and customer demand already identified. The urgency of the 27 August deadline means that for the first cycle, action is required immediately. Key details for applicants:
- Cycle 1 opens: 3 August 2026
- Cycle 1 closes: 27 August 2026
- Funding: up to £350,000 per project
- Project duration: up to 12 months, with optional 18-month testing phase
- TRL requirement: TRL 6 or 7 at project completion
- Operational impact: demonstrable route within two years of completion
- Challenge owners: Home Office and National Protective Security Authority
- Further cycles: planned throughout 2026 and 2027
Full competition details and the submission portal are available on gov.uk. Contact your local UKDI Innovation Partner to discuss your proposal before applying.
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Post written by: Vicky Maggiani
Vicky has worked in media for over 25 years and has a wealth of experience in editing and creating copy for a variety of sectors.
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