HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Automated audio capture and transcription for Defence wargaming

This challenge is open to sole innovators, industry, academic and research organisations of all types and sizes. There is no requirement for security clearances.

Solution providers or direct collaboration from countries listed by the UK government under trade sanctions and/or arms embargoes are not eligible for HMGCC CoCreation challenges.

Technology themes: Acoustics, artificial intelligence, app development, audio, data analytics, digital
services, information technology, machine learning, software development, systems
engineering.

HMGCC Co-Creation and jHub, working with the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are seeking solutions to modernise wargaming. Wargames are a crucial exercise for commanders, used for both training and evidence-based analysis. Wargames are scenario-based warfare models, where outcomes and events affect, and are affected by, the decisions made by players. These exercises train players to evaluate situations and make decisions faster, and allow post-game analysis to deliver evidence-based observations.

A wargaming event may have anywhere from 10 to 100 personnel, using a variety of different methods and technologies. A typical format is a structured tabletop exercise, sometimes played on a physical board or via an interactive digital interface. These events take place within a classified environment to protect sensitive information. Central to the wargame is the analysis of the data captured during play. Part of this data is the transcript of discussion, assumptions and the reasoning behind decisions taken. This is analysed afterwards so that lessons can be learnt to improve decision making and to validate or disprove hypotheses. See https://cyberandspecialistoperationscommand.blog.gov.uk/2024/03/19/8-factsto-level-up-your-knowledge-on-wargames/ for more information.

This challenge, launched by HMGCC Co-Creation, seeks a full solution to automatically capture and transcribe conversations within a classified wargame scenario.

Transcription is currently a manual process, requiring large teams of trained data capturers working in parallel across different conversations. This often produces fragmented transcripts that require subsequent cleaning, reconciliation, and interpretation before analysis can begin. The MoD wants to modernise how wargame data is captured, with a focus on audio capture and automated transcription. The solution should provide accurate real-time transcription, using a fully digital, technology-enabled approach capable of identifying unique speakers in real-time, capturing background comments, and accurately recognising specialised language.

While commercial technologies exist that address parts of this requirement, this challenge specifically requires a solution that operates within a classified environment and integrates with on-premises IT systems. This means that wireless solutions such as Bluetooth and cloud connected computing cannot be used.

Colonel Spencer, a senior commander in the British Army, has commissioned Major Patel, a wargame instructor to design and run a wargame. Colonel Spencer’s objective is to train her command team, identify strengths and weaknesses, and use this opportunity to prepare for real-world conflict.

Together they design a Camberley Kriegsspiel wargame. This uses a board showing a battlefield map, with imaginary troops and technology assigned to two opposing teams (blue and red team) and an umpire to adjudicate. Each side has 20 players, comprising Army commanders and technical specialists, with a further 20 observers who analyse and critique decisions throughout the wargame.

The two teams move to a separate room to plan before deploying their strategy in a turn-based system. Neither team knows what the other is doing unless they make contact in combat or make discoveries through intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) activity. Due to the fast pace of the Camberley Kriegsspiel wargame, there is little time for re-planning, and each team must quickly come to terms with outcomes of their decisions and to then counter the enemy.

As the game progresses, smaller groups splinter off to discuss options for their commander. Observers critique decisions and discuss alternative courses of action amongst themselves. As time runs out, and as one team edges closer to victory, the conversations become more animated and fast-paced.

With 60 plus attendees, overlapping conversations, frequent interruptions, and specialised military language, capturing all discussions accurately is a significant challenge.

Major Patel addresses this using the newly commissioned auto-transcriber. An array of wired microphones deployed throughout the training facility feed into a central server running an algorithm that can assign streams of speech to specific players or observers. Each stream is captured and tagged with the speaker, timestamp and context. Dedicated reviewers can make corrections in near real time, improving accuracy as the session progresses, with the analyst team then assessing whether the original objective has been met, feeding back rapidly to Colonel Spencer.

This challenge focuses on building an entire solution, including the hardware and software, to auto transcribe conversations in a complex wargaming scenario. After the 12-week project, we require a minimum Technology Level Readiness 6 system – technology model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment. The deliverable will be a prototype delivered to MoD sponsors for further testing.

Essential requirements:

• Deliver a full system prototype to capture audio, process and transcribe audio.
• Ability to record audio continuously for 12 hours. Off-the-shelf audio capture devices are acceptable.
• Automatic transcription must be as accurate as possible.
• Transcription must be available immediately as conversations occur, enabling authorised users to review and correct errors during play. (Solutions that only provide post‑turn or post‑event transcription are insufficient.
• Ability to identify speakers and attribute them to a role (for example blue team leader)
• Ability to accurately identify domain specific terminology and acronyms.
• Confidence scoring of transcription accuracy and speaker identification.
• Transcription must be in an OpenDocument Text format with the raw file also retained.
• The system must support a minimum of 18 simultaneous speakers and 60 total wargame players.
• Natural language query of transcripts.
• Customisable tagging of transcript with contextual insights such as team membership and the context of the conversation.
• The solution provider must gain Cyber Essentials prior to contract award and Cyber Essentials Plus prior to project kick-off.
• Proposals must consider how GDPR, legal and MOD policy compliance will be managed. Proposals must consider how anonymisation of Personal Identifiable Information will be managed.
• Must be secure by design. The sponsors will work with the solution provider to assure this. This includes robust supply chain security.

Desirable requirements:

• Portability across rooms and locations.
• Ability to learn identify domain specific terminology and acronyms.
• Live audio review with administrator rights to allow correction of transcription in real time.
• Ability to tag individual transcript segments. • Intuitive and easy to use user interface.
• Accessibility controls, such as the ability to change text size, front and colour.

Constraints:

• The tool must operate without an internet connection or cloud computing connection.
• All components, including microphones and computing hardware, must be wired. Use of wireless protocols such as Bluetooth will not be accepted.
• The solution should use commercially available graphic processor units (GPUs) rather than specialised hardware.
• Audio capture devices must be discreet and not inhibit the wargame players experience.

Not required:

• Horizon scanning or a pure paper study.

Competition opens: Monday 11 May 2026

Briefing call: Monday 1 June 2026, 11:30am – register via MS Teams

Clarifying questions deadline: Monday 1 June 2026

Clarifying questions published: Wednesday 3 June 2026

Competition closes: Thursday 11 June 2026

Applicants notified: Tuesday 23 June 2026

Pitch Day: Wednesday 1 July 2026

Pitch Day outcome: Tuesday 7 July 2026

Commercial onboarding begins Friday 10 July 2026 (Please note, the successful solution provider will be expected to have availability for a one-hour onboarding call via MS Teams on the date specified to begin the onboarding/contractual process.)

Target project kick-off: August 2026

For any queries, please email Co-Creation@dstl.gov.uk and cocreation@hmgcc.gov.uk. You can also contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Security and Defence team.