The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) supported by Innovate UK has launched a new opportunity to apply for grant funding: The Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP). This £16M programme, running initially for 3 years, is owned by MOD’s Directorate of Industrial Strategy and Exports (DISE) and was announced in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) in March 2021.
DTEP is designed to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK to develop innovative materials, technologies and processes, and to enhance defence supply chains. DTEP was announced as part of the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS) which laid out plans to drive innovation and improvements in productivity and efficiency, and to accelerate the development of next-generation technologies; ensuring the UK expands its competitive, pioneering and world-class defence and security industries.
DTEP aims to inspire companies to win new business, develop industrial capabilities, and provide new cutting-edge answers to defence problems at home and abroad. The programme will offer up to 50% grant funding to collaborations between UK-registered Lower Tier Suppliers and Higher Tier Suppliers (see definitions in section 2.1 and section 2.2, developing projects which support the current and upcoming equipment capabilities and technology priorities of the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The maximum total allowable value of each DTEP project is £1M (therefore, the maximum grant award is £500K).
The grant awards will be provided by Innovate UK. It should be noted that for this programme, you will be asked to agree to the Innovate UK Terms and Conditions, which can be found here.
DTEP aims to:
- strengthen the technology development capabilities of UK defence supply chain companies
- create / sustain high value jobs in the UK defence supply chain
- enable the development of technologies in line with the MOD Enduring Capability Challenges
What are the benefits of applying to DTEP?
DTEP will give you the opportunity to:
- deliver new technology, materials or processes into the UK defence supply chain
- create new cutting-edge supply chain collaborations that align to the MOD Enduring Capability Challenges
- develop the industrial capabilities of your SME
- scale up and supply to defence
How do I apply and what support is available?
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Identify: Define a project that would deliver a benefit to the defence supply chain by delivering new processes, materials or technology. You are strongly encouraged to discuss with your regional DASA Innovation Partner and identify a Higher Tier Supplier to form a consortium. DASA Innovation Partners are located throughout the UK and are available to help you understand opportunities across the Defence and Security community. A DASA Business Relationship Manager will be available to give you guidance on forming an effective consortium as well as working with you throughout the submission process. The DASA Business Relationship Manager’s role is to support the formation of supply chain consortia for appropriate development projects, and to help you to understand the mechanics and dynamics of the programme.
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Review: Fill out a DTEP outline proposal. The project will be reviewed by an Industry Project Review Panel which will include experts from industry, across a range of defence organisations and representing a wide range of UK regions where possible. The Panel will review your outline proposal for innovation, alignment to the MOD Enduring Capability Challenges (see section 3), and commercialisation potential. At this stage, you will receive feedback from the Panel via a DASA Business Relationship Manager, which will help you develop the proposal. The DASA Business Relationship Manager will also provide guidance on collaboration agreements and intellectual property protection.
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Pitch: Complete a DASA DTEP full proposal utilising feedback. Present your project to a final Industry Project Review Panel (Dragons’ Den style) and receive feedback from your DASA Business Relationship Manager. As in step 2, the panel will be comprised of experts from industry and will again review your presentation for innovation, alignment to the MOD Enduring Capability Challenges and commercialisation potential.
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Assessment: Your proposal and feedback from the Industry Project Review Panel will then be passed to MOD assessors, who will assess your proposal for its alignment to the MOD Enduring Capability Challenges and against the criteria detailed in section 5, here and here.
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Award: If your project is recommended for funding, you will be asked to complete a form through Innovate UK’s Innovation Funding Service. Innovate UK will award a grant subject to a successful credit check. The project can then be started with the Higher Tier Supplier and any other consortium partners (see section 2.1). The DASA Business Relationship Manager will support you during the delivery of the project. Innovate UK will assign you a Monitoring Officer who will monitor your progress throughout the project. Your Monitoring Officer is your first point of contact for official notifications, queries and correspondence with Innovate UK.
DTEP is open for proposals all year round with cycles closing at 3 month intervals for assessment of submissions. Please note that once you have had an Outline Proposal accepted, you can submit into any of the Full Proposal cycles. However, if you have had a Full Proposal recommended for funding, you will need to submit the Innovation Funding Service (IFS) application by the close date associated with that cycle. Please note that the Outline and Full Proposals will be submitted into DASA and the IFS application into Innovate UK.
The first outline proposal cycle will close at midday (GMT) on 27 October 2022.
Approximate cycle dates are below, subject to change.
| Outline Proposal Cycle Launch Dates (DASA) | 27 July 22 | 27 October 22 | January 23 |
| Outline Proposal Cycle Close Dates (DASA) | 27 October 22 | January 23 | April 23 |
| Date of feedback | November 22 | February 23 | May 23 |
| Full Proposal Cycle Launch Dates (DASA) | October 22 | January 23 | April 23 |
| Full Proposal Cycle Close Dates (DASA) | January 23 | April 23 | July 23 |
| Date of decision | March 23 | June 23 | September 23 |
| Innovation Funding Service Submission (Innovate UK) | April 23 | July 23 | October 23 |
For more information click here.
Fred Sugden
Fred Sugden
Fred is responsible for techUK's activities across the Defence and National Security sectors, working to provide members with access to key stakeholders across the Defence and National Security community. Before taking on the role of Associate Director for Defence and National Security, Fred joined techUK in 2018, working as the Programme Head for Defence at techUK, leading the organisation's engagement with the Ministry of Defence. Before joining techUK, he worked at ADS, the national trade association representing Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space companies in the UK.
Fred is responsible for techUK’s market engagement and policy development activities across the Defence and National Security sectors, working closely with various organisations within the Ministry of Defence, and across the wider National Security and Intelligence community. Fred works closely with many techUK member companies that have an interest in these sectors, and is responsible for the activities of techUK's senior Defence & Security Board. Working closely with techUK's Programme Head for Cyber Security, Fred oversees a broad range of activities for techUK members.
Outside of work, Fred's interests include football (a Watford FC fan) and skiing.
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