The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA)

DASA finds, funds and fast-tracks innovative ideas that might benefit HM Armed Forces and/or National Security. Read on to find out more.

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) finds, funds and fast-tracks innovative ideas that might benefit HM Armed Forces and/or National Security. This is achieved by running competitions and by business support activities.

DASA runs two types of competitions – Themed and an Open Call which is open all year round for any good idea. These competitions are for ideas typically <TRL6 and provide 100% funding; DASA does not take intellectual property (IP) or any equity in companies. DASA funds all sizes of businesses and academia.

DASA also provides wrap around business support to SMEs looking to grow and scale into the Defence and Security markets. As well as one-to-one assistance from specialists, business support activities also include some other sources of funding such as Defence Innovation Loans (DILs) and the Defence Technology Exploitation Programme (DTEP). DILs allow companies to move to commercialisation and DTEP aims to fund development projects aiming to build supply chains between SMEs and larger companies with existing buying relations with MOD.

DASA has staff based in Scotland and has agreed funding for 113 Scottish projects worth ~£19m. If you are a Scottish innovator with an idea DASA might be interested. Please contact Debra Carr (djcarr@dasa.mod.gov.uk) for DASA competitions or Anis Mourad (amourad@dasa.mod.gov.uk) for business support activities. You can follow DASA Scotland here.