openSPDM is a company which has pioneered open source solutions for Simulation Process and Data Management and Digital Engineering Modelling and Simulation.
This year the MoD announced their intention for a “first-in-the-UK digital engineering” approach for Future Combat Air System (FCAS) / Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) though the USA Department of Defence (DoD) mandated this approach in 2018.
The need for this challenge is that Digital Engineering, Modelling and Simulation is essential to successful program delivery in the 21st Century but the UK has yet to start deploying it, so an approach which accelerates deployment and uptake is badly needed.
The Challenge
Automotive and Aerospace companies outside the UK, such as Toyota Motors Europe, have implemented Digital Engineering Modelling and Simulation at the concept phase of engineering programs to simulate vehicle suspension performance and hence insure that this performance is delivered as hardware. So Toyota vehicles perform as specified and are delivered in 4 years whereas the Ajax light tank is 10 years late and its suspension requires a £1Bn redesign and replacement which Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) use could have foreseen enabling a right first time solution.
Today DEMS solutions for MBSE system simulation have to be developed from scratch which is costly and near impossible in the UK due to the lack of skills in Simulation Process and Data Management (SPDM) and DEMS – found not to be used in the UK at all in SimBest survey.
openSPDM addresses the two main challenges of DEMS deployment:
- It is a configurable DEMS solution so can be implemented rapidly
- It has a connector framework which enables simulation applications to be connected rapidly, since many tens of simulation applications need to be integrated.
Prototype solutions have been developed for MBSE simulation, an open solution by openSPDM (TRL3) and a proprietary solution by Toyota (TRL6).
The challenge is to develop a configurable, industrial solution for MBSE system simulation (TRL6) within openSPDM to complement its 3D simulation management capabilities. This involves the development of an interface to the Capella open source MBSE solution which extracts the system architecture definition (system element structure), creation of a new item type to represent parameters, values and results based on Toyota, Safran and open SPDM prototypes, developing method code to roll up executable models attached to system elements in the system structure and create a system model, develop a connector to launch a 1D simulation code and a plugin to recover the results to the openSPDM solution vault. This should be deployable for field test in the year following completion and then commercially deployable in 1 year.
The solution provider will be eligible to apply for £60k to develop the proposed solution towards meeting this challenge. The funding will cover a 3 month project, the details of which will need to be refined with the challenge holder.
-
Entrants to this competition must be:
- Established businesses, academic institutions, start-ups, SMEs, or individual entrepreneurs
- UK based or have the intention to set up a UK base
Your project must:
- Have a grant funding request up to £60,000
- Start 1st March 2027 and complete by 31st May 2027
- Carry out its project work in the UK
- Intend to exploit the results from or in the UK
-
The solution must:
- Integrate Capella, the open source MBSE solution developed by Thales
- Include method code to roll up element models into a system model
- Allow missions to be defined by parameters in a file separate to the model file
- Connect to a 1D simulation code such as Octave to run the system model with inputs defined as parameters in the openSPDM database
- Demonstrate physics simulation of the physics of a system defined as MBSE in Capella
- Demonstrate the impact of parameter changes to physics behaviour.
-
The solution must:
- Follow Aras Innovator and openSPDM coding guidelines and be compatible with existing openSPDM code. Aras Innovator is a platform deployed at scale by several USA defence contractors including
- SAIC and MIT Lincoln Labs to achieve DoW DE compliance. Aras Inovator is available for free download for Proofs of Concept and for use for up to 50 users for SMEs
- Be specified prior to code development
- Be documented for administrators, developers and end users
- Follow cyber-security best practices
- Run on Windows 11 and Linux clients
The solution must not seek to replace openSPDM, which is available as open source for organisations which commit to contribute code to this project.
-
Successful applicants will be given an opportunity to pitch to openSPDM. The winning applicant, as selected by the company, will then be eligible to apply for up to £60,000 grant funding to kickstart the development of the proposed solution through a 3 month project.
The benefits package for a successful applicant may also include:
- Support from Innovate UK Business Connect
- Support in the development of a prototype or pilot
- Technical support
- Invitation to attend or present at Innovate UK Business Connect events
- A potential business collaboration
- Investor introductions (if investment is required)
- Support if any Innovate UK or similar competitions are relevant
-
- Challenge launch: 8 October 2026
- Deadline for applications: Friday 6 November 2026
- Review of applicants: Monday 9 – Friday 13 November 2026
- Selection and notification of finalists: Friday 13 – Tuesday 17 November 2026
- Pitch Day: Wednesday 25 November – Wednesday 3 December 2026
- Confirm selected solution provider: By Friday 4 December 2026
- Submission to Innovation Funding Service (IFS): 22 December 2026
- Project length: up to 3 months to be completed between 1 March 2027 and 31 May 2027