The Defence and Security Accelerator: finding innovation for a safer UK

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) finds and funds exploitable innovation to support UK defence and security quickly and effectively. DASA links the Armed Forces, Government departments and security organisations to the best ideas from business and academia, helping to tackle the most pressing defence and security issues.
Since we were set up at the end of 2016, DASA has helped accelerate more than 600 ideas from industry, and in the past 12 months alone we have fast-tracked 245 innovative solutions to help tackle defence and security challenges.
Helping you to find innovation
If you have a challenge that you need an innovative solution to, DASA can help scout out, fast-track and accelerate innovation to help tackle your most pressing defence and security issues and get new capability in to the hands of end users.
DASA offers a range of services, including competitions to help find innovation and ideas to challenges. Our Operations team shape and run bespoke competitions on your behalf, and we offer two main competition services to help you get results.
- Themed competitions are commissioned by Government bodies, front line commands, or security organisations to find solutions for specific challenges.
- The Open Call for Innovation is open all-year round and businesses and academia can submit any idea with a defence or security use. This encourages ideas that are not limited by what we as Government perceive as possible.
We provide a simple mechanism by which suppliers submit proposals and the framework that brings together the relevant experts to deliver the best ideas from a diverse pool. To further support you our team of regionally based Innovation Partners reach out to businesses and academia to promote and highlight your challenges and bring innovation into the defence and security domains.
To find out more about how DASA can help you find an innovative solution to your defence and security challenges, book a 1:1 slot with our Operational Lead, Dudley Hewlett.
Identify innovation for a safer future, become a DASA Assessor
In times of unpredictability the UK needs innovative ideas more than ever to anticipate and overcome adversity. We also need to be able to quickly identify those ideas that will make a difference, at a time when it really matters.
To keep delivering innovation for the defence and security of the UK, we need experts from across Government to help assess the many and varied ideas that come in to DASA.
If you think you could help drive innovation for a safer future, or if you have a technical or scientific awareness of your Department’s challenge areas and are attuned to future trends, speak to us about becoming a DASA Assessor.
You can view further information regarding becoming a DASA assessor here.
For those working in the public sector who are interested in becoming an Assessor, we have 1:1 slots* available with DASA’s Assessor Manager, Rita Ludbrook, so that you can find out more.
If you are not available on 16 or 17 November, join our Assessor webinar on 26 November to find out more. During the webinar you will find out how to become an Assessor for DASA, what the role entails and hear from military users and other Government speakers about the benefits of the role.
There will also be the option to join a short training session so you can become an Assessor straightaway.
When: Thursday 26 November, 10:00 – 12:00 & 12:30 – 13:30 for Assessor Training
Where: Online, register here for the DASA Assessor Training via Eventbrite
Please feel free to share this invite with anyone within Government who you think might also be interested in becoming an Assessor for DASA.
Read the DASA Annual Review 2020
* Note: 1:1s will only be available to those working within Government as currently we are not able to sign up those outside of Government to be Assessors.
DASA will also be attending the Innovation 2020 conference, taking place virtually on 16 & 17 November 2020; register here to secure your place.