R&D funding calls for the UK’s Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE)
The UK’s Ministry of Defence (MOD), the umbrella organisation for all UK defence matters, has opened R&D funding calls round for Finnish organisations, academia and research institutes. MOD is looking for novel, high-risk, cost-effective research proposals that will benefit military, security agencies and police.
Application period has started and stays open until February 2014. Funding calls open divers opportunities for Finnish innovators for example in the fields of military healthcare, medical research, nano-technologies, microsystems industry, smart materials, sensors and cyber security as well as global positioning and navigation.
Funding is applied through Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) that has funded more than 500 R&D contracts since 2008. It is quasi-independent part of the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (dstl), which is the principal funding agency on behalf of the MOD and other government agencies in matters of national security. CDE is the first point of contact with dstl for non-traditional defence suppliers with innovative, disruptive technologies that could fulfil a military need. 17% of all proposals received by CDE have been funded.
There are two channels for applying funding from CDE: themed calls and the open call. Themed calls are time specific and organized few times a year. They bring together all relevant experts for each theme to validate needs of the respective theme and to review the funding ideas and proposals. For each themed call CDE has a budget reservation to fund a limited number of projects. Find out about the on-going themed calls here.
In the open call ideas can be submitted at any time. Ideas submitted to open call channel will be reviewed on monthly basis and have to be exceptionally good in order to receive funding. Find out more about the requirements and how to apply funding through open call here.
Examples of CDE funded projects: Intelligent textiles, D30 Laboratory
