• Status: Closed

  • Key features: The purpose of this CDE call is research into novel high-risk, high-potential-benefit innovations sourced from the broadest possible range of science and technology providers.

  • Programme: SBRI

  • Award: Not specified

  • Opens: 23 Apr 2013, 00:00

  • Registration closes: No deadline

  • Closes: 06 Jun 2013, 12:00

  • Support phone number: 0300 321 4357

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Precision Timing

Background and challenge

MoD logoMOD's Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) funds research into novel high-risk, high-potential-benefit innovations sourced from the broadest possible range of science and technology providers, including academia and small companies, to enable development of cost-effective capability advantage for UK Armed Forces and national security. 
 
Advances in precision timing and synergistic technologies (such as inertial sensors) have the potential to enhance existing, or enable new, defence capabilities. These could include positioning, navigation, communications, control and sensing.
 
Dstl's Futures and Innovation Domain seeks to fund a number (~10) of short projects both to demonstrate innovative use of existing technologies to achieve military benefit, and to lay the foundations for longer- term breakthroughs that might realise disruptive military capabilities. 

Contact details

Scope

Research proposals in response to this CDE themed call should draw from the widest possible range of novel and emerging ideas and applications to improve our understanding of the state of the art and future potential for defence and security applications.
 
Proposals are invited from across academia and industry and we encourage collaboration between academia and industry. Areas of interest include: 
  1. Rapidly exploitable and innovative use of existing technologies. We require proposals that demonstrate new ways to exploit current devices and systems (such as the chip-scale atomic clock). 
  2. Proof-of-concept research to demonstrate potential for ‘step change' enhancements to precision navigation and timing technology. 
  3. Characterisation of how recent scientific advances (such as Bose- Einstein condensates or optical lattices) have the potential to facilitate new systems and capabilities for defence and security over the longer term. 
While Dstl makes no commitment to fund any follow-on work we will, wherever possible, help to further the projects funded under this call. Potential exploitation routes exist in a range of areas including ISTAR and sensors, maritime and strategic systems, counter terrorism and weapons.
 
Successful proposers will, where possible, be invited to participate in a ‘road-mapping' initiative with the Technology Strategy Board's Position, Navigation and Timing Group through its ICT Knowledge Transfer Network.
 
This will help identify opportunities beyond defence and security and further enhance wider collaboration and common purpose. Furthermore, the output from interest area 3 above is expected to inform a significant call for proposals issued in financial year 2014/15 under the UK Research Councils. "Global Uncertainties" programme. 
 

Application process

This CDE themed call for research proposals will be launched at a seminar in Harwell Oxford on Tuesday 23 April 2013 and will close Thursday 6 June 2013 at 1700 hrs. All proposals must be submitted via the CDE online Portal.
 
Although all funding decisions are made by Dstl, proposals will also be assessed by other UK Government departments. Registration for the launch event is only via the website www.science.mod.uk.
 
MOD does not charge for attendance at CDE seminars. 

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