Launch of DASA Wireless Communications, Networking and Information Theory Challenge

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is part of the UK Government’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), run by the Ministry of Defence. The Accelerator funds proof-of-concept research that offers a high potential benefit to defence and security in the UK and which thereby supports UK economic growth and prosperity.

DASA has launched a new competition to support proposals for innovative technologies to deliver information exchange capabilities that are resilient in a highly dynamic operating environment where there are significant challenges from congestion and contention, including mobility, spectrum access, demand for information and adversary threat.

Proposals can target any of the domains of defence (including Air, Land and Maritime) communications capability, although proposals should be focussed on deployed scenarios, rather than fixed communications infrastructure, such as data centres. Proposals must focus on one or more of the competition’s three challenge areas:

Novel communications techniques.

Novel coding and modulation.

Novel networking techniques.

A balanced set of proposals will be selected over the challenge areas. The competition will support technologies that will reach between Technical Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 and 6 by the end of Phase 1. Proposals can be based on novel ideas within existing communications standards and defence networks, or for completely new approaches to transmitting information.

DASA expects to fund five to ten proposals in Phase 1 of the competition. If successful, contracts will be awarded for a maximum duration of eight months, and projects must be completed by February 2022.

Submissions are welcome from all organisation types and individuals, with no nationality restrictions. Suppliers may submit proposals that answer one or more of the challenge areas as appropriate, and may also submit multiple proposals for multiple challenges.

A total of £500,000 is available for this competition to fund five to ten proposals. There is no specific upper limit per individual proposal.

Applications should be submitted by the 7 April 2021 (12:00) deadline.

More information about this research funding opportunity and the application process is available on the RESEARCHconnect funding information platform. RESEARCHconnect provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on research funding news and policy. To find out more about how RESEARCHconnect can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.