Security & Defence
The UK is committed to an historic uplift in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027, with a commitment to hit 3% in the next Parliament, and it would be expected that at least 20% of that spending to continue to be on equipment. This commitment represents spending some £186bn on defence equipment and support in the 10 years from 2018/19. The UK is also a significant defence exporter, winning defence orders worth £14bn in 2018.
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With an evolving and contested global landscape, the UK requires a strong defence and security sector to maintain a resilient and stable nation. Technology is central to these goals, and the role of SMEs is vital and will only grow over the coming years.
The UK has a vibrant and world-leading SME security and defence sector, which is a global leader in a wide range of products and services and supported the export of over £14bn of goods and services (2018). Globally, the security market—cyber security included—exhibits continued growth and is projected to reach over £230bn by 2030, with defence markets expected to grow to in excess of £3 trillion.
There are many innovative solutions developed for, and applicable to, the defence and Homeland & National Security sectors. Our team can help you navigate this landscape by signposting funding opportunities, offering advice, providing guidance and introducing beneficial connections.
Companies developing products, services or innovation that are applicable to defence or security sectors may be from areas such as IoT, data science/AI/ML, forensics, detection and screening technologies, cryptography, synthetic biology and chemistry, radiological and nuclear, UAV/drones, sensors, behavioural science, human enhancement, energy storage, advanced materials and electronics, space and earth observation, surveillance and intelligence, logistics, command and control.
Click here to see open funding opportunities in the security & defence sector.
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Related Opportunities
DASA competition: PYRAMID for avionics and mission systems: Phase 2
Opens: 30/09/2025 Closes: 25/11/2025
£3m total funding to further the adoption of the MOD's PYRAMID Reference Architecture in avionics and mission systems
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DASA Competition: Novel Technology for Intervening in Non-Compressible Haemorrhage
Opens: 16/09/2025 Closes: 04/11/2025
DMS & UKRI are seeking novel interventions starting at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 2-4, in both combat and civilian settings.
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HMGCC Co-Creation: Security watermarks for physical documents
Opens: 06/10/2025 Closes: 06/11/2025
HMGCC seeks to develop new processes and manufacturing concepts, enabling small-scale, agile production runs of security watermarked documents.
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HMGCC Co-Creation Challenge: Managing cybersecurity risk through network monitoring
Opens: 20/10/2025 Closes: 20/11/2025
Join this challenge to develop a small and economical network monitor to improve observability and allow network packet modification for penetration testing.
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Defence Innovation Loans 2025-26
Next cycle closing date: 9 Dec 2025
Loans of up to £1m to help convert your mature defence innovation into a strong business proposition, with a below market interest rate of 7.4% per annum.
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Microbiome Engineering for Resilience and Performance
Opens: 29/10/2025 Closes: 05/12/2025
The Innovation Exchange (iX) Programme is supporting Dstl to find innovators who can help to enhance the resilience and/or performance of UK Defence personnel using microbiome engineering.
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Related Events and Recordings
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Related News
20/09/2024
CyberASAP alumni reach £32M funding milestone
Going into its eighth year, Cyber Security Academic Startup Accelerator Programme (CyberASAP) alumni have raised over £32 million in funding, highlighting the real-world impact of academic cyber research.
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25/06/2024
Scaling New Heights: Investing in Future Flight
As part of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge, Innovate UK Business Connect recently hosted its first Future Flight investor engagement event in Canary Wharf.