The UK Government has established a £16 million program to support defense innovation using the UK’s SMEs.
The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP) is created to bring the essential elements together to support ground-breaking innovations by utilizing the creativity of SMEs, the resources of large suppliers, and initial funding from the government.
The project’s goal is to maintain Britain’s position as a leader in defense technology by enhancing the capabilities available to the armed forces, boosting the competitiveness of the UK industry, and expanding potential export benefits.
Through DTEP, individual grants of up to 50% of a project’s value, up to a maximum of £500,000, will be made available to promote the integration of novel technologies, materials, and processes into the Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) supply chains.
DTEP will accept ideas all year round, with cycles closing at intervals of three months to allow for submission evaluation. It is a key commitment in the Defense and Security Industrial Strategy and SME Action Plan, and it will be carried out by the MOD’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), in collaboration with the Innovate UK group.
“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).