Ministry of Defence’s Science and Technology portfolio

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Introduction

The Defence Science and Technology Portfolio is a series of programmes and standalone projects designed to meet the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s capability needs and to ensure the UK armed forces remain at the cutting edge of technology.

This guide gives an overview of each programme and standalone project for the benefit of industry, academia, other government and non-government organisations and partners.

To deliver on the scale and ambition set out by the MOD’s Chief Scientific Adviser will require a whole-of-UK effort as well as collaboration and cooperation from international allies.

Sustaining strategic advantage through science and technology (S&T) is the first objective of the UK’s combined security, defence, development and foreign policy.

The coming decade will see the ability to advance and exploit science and technology as an increasingly important metric of global power and an essential driver of economic, political, and military competition.

Thus, sustaining the UK’s status of a science and technology superpower and retaining these associated advantages is crucial for our national security and prosperity.

Over the next 4 years, the MOD will invest at least £6.6 billion in research and development (R&D) and this Science and Technology Portfolio will ensure defence sustains operational advantage, can make the right decisions, and generate prosperity for the UK.

Predominantly, the following programmes and projects will be delivered by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), but partners in industry and academia will be crucial to delivery with significant funding available and opportunities to collaborate.

The portfolio has been designed by Defence Science and Technology in partnership with our stakeholders to ensure MOD’s science and technology activities:address defence’s capability priorities

enable a decisive UK technological edge

allow defence to understand the future

sustain sovereign and critical capabilities

balance challenge-driven research with exploratory research

Notably, this portfolio pivots emphasis in science and technology towards key capability challenges and high-risk generation-after-next research in emerging and little understood technologies as highlighted in the MOD’s Science and Technology Strategy 2020.