Introduction

This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition is seeking proposals that can address challenges associated with sample surface collection / preservation, analysis and attribution (SPAA) of hazardous chemical and biological (ChemBio) materials. New Technology options or technical approaches could ultimately help both the successful identification of material and directly / indirectly aid bringing perpetrators to justice. As well as addressing this diverse set of technical requirements, one of the goals of the "SPAA" is to engage with a non-traditional ChemBio supplier base in order to yield innovative solutions. Up to £1 million is available to fund multiple innovations at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2-4 to deliver field-able prototypes / software (TRL6+) to support investigations in to CB incidents. This includes sample collection all the way through to the tools used for identification and attribution. We are expecting to fund 3 to 4 proposals.

This competition is jointly funded by The UK Ministry Of Defence (MOD) and The US Department of Defence (DOD), and will operate under an extant memorandum of understanding between both nations. Both The MOD and DOD will have equal rights of access to information submitted under this competition.

This dial-in session provides further detail on the problem space from the competition team, with a chance to ask questions in an open forum.

How to apply

Submission deadline:

12:00hrs on Tuesday 30th April 2024 (London GMT)

Where do I submit my proposal?

Via the DASA Online Sumission Service for which you will be required to register.

Only propsals submitted through the DASA Online Submission Service will be accepted.

How many proposals will DASA fund?

We are expecting to fund around 3-4 proposals. Additional proposals may be funded if further funding becomes available.

However DASA reserves the right to fund one outstanding bid up to £1 million (excluding VAT). If successful, contracts will be awarded for a maximum duration of 24 months.

For further guidance

Click Here for more information on our competition process and how your proposal is assessed.

This competition will be using the Innovation Standard Contract (ICS). We will require unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions; if applicable, please ensure your commercial department has provided their acceptance.

More information on DEFCON 705 can be found by registering on the Knowledge in Defence (KiD) site.

Funded projects will be allocated a Project Manager and a Technical Partner from The UK. In addition, the DASA team will work with you to support delivery and exploitation including, when appropriate, introductions to end-users and business support to help develop their business.

Help: Contact the DASA Help Centre

Competition queries including on process, application, commercial, technical and intellectual property aspects should be sent to the DASA Help Centre, quoting the competition, please email the DASA Help Centre: accelerator@dstl.gov.uk

While all reasonable efforts will be made to answer queries, DASA reserves the right to impose management controls if volumes of queries restrict fair access of information to all potential innovators.

Sample Preservation, Analysis And Attribution (SPAA)