DASA Competition: Rapid Detection of Toxic Gases

Funding for proposals that enable the rapid detection of toxic gases to improve public safety by providing an early warning to indicate unsafe levels of toxic gases in busy spaces.

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is part of the UK Government’s Ministry of Defence. The Accelerator helps public and private innovators develop their ideas into exploitable products and services for defence and security customers, and experiments with novel methodology and innovative approaches to help accelerate the delivery of the best solutions.

DASA is running this competition on behalf of the Home Office with support from the US Department of Homeland Security. The competition seeks to support new technologies that enhance the rapid detection of toxic gases to enable an early warning of unsafe levels of toxic gases in potentially busy spaces.

The funders are seeking proposals capable of detecting the presence of toxic gases in busy spaces by using an early warning system that triggers to the presence of toxic gases at or above 10% of their 10 minute Acute Exposure Guideline Levels (AEGL) level 2 value. In addition to detection, the funders are also interested in estimating concentration, minimising nuisance alarms and quickly identifying areas at risk. The possibility of networking to future smart facility management systems is also of interest.

Comprehensive coverage of chemical hazards is preferred. The funders are particularly interested in novel technology developments outside of commonly used techniques for gas detection such as electrochemical sensors, metal oxide sensor or spectroscopic methods. However, novel applications or development based on current techniques are still of interest and are in scope.

All innovations that meet the competition challenge of identifying a potentially dangerous atmosphere in busy public places are also of interest and in scope.

The innovation should output a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3-4.

Additional funding for further phases to increase TRL may be available. If there is a future phase, it will be open to applications from all innovators and not just those that submitted Phase 1 successful bids.