Competition seeks low-TRL advances for defence-related robotic and autonomous systems.

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), formerly the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) and part of the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD), has opened a competition for proposals on novel autonomy and robotics. The call is run on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) Autonomy Programme Incubator project and focuses on early stage, potentially disruptive science and technology that could contribute to future Defence Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS).

The competition seeks low technology readiness level (TRL) ideas that start at TRL 1 or 2 and progress by at least one TRL level during the project. Work may relate to physical robotics, information management and integration, high-level autonomous behaviours, wider interactions such as swarming and human-machine interaction, and system survivability including resilience and graceful degradation.

Proposals are expected to demonstrate technical feasibility and produce early experimental evidence, without needing to deliver prototypes or complete systems. Projects assessed as having a high risk of failure are considered acceptable.

The call is structured in two phases. Phase 1 is an initial proof of concept and must be completed within three months. Up to £600,000 is available across Phase 1, with individual awards of up to £60,000. Phase 2 is open only to applicants successful in Phase 1 and, at MOD discretion, may support further development through a task valued at up to £200,000 over one year.

The competition is open to all, including organisations of any type and individuals, provided all work is undertaken in the UK. Applicants are encouraged to review UKDI terms and conditions before submission.