Thistle Wind Partners (TWP) a consortium involving DEME, Qair and Aspiravi, has submitted the onshore scoping report for its Ayre Offshore Wind Farm to The Highland Council. This is the first of a series of consenting milestones for TWP’s two ScotWind projects in 2024.
TWP’s Ayre project, located to the east of Orkney, will be a 1GW floating wind farm, contributing to the UK and Scottish Government’s targets for accelerating floating wind capacity. Through its local supply chain targets, TWP supports Scotland and the wider UK in developing exportable goods and services for the global floating wind sector.
This week’s submission of the onshore scoping report for the Ayre project is an important first milestone towards the required onshore planning permission for the project. The report outlines the onshore infrastructure needed for the project and the approach to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which will support the submission for Planning Permission in Principle, targeted for early 2025.
The project’s grid connection point will be in Caithness, near the village of Spittal, with a landfall point at Sinclair’s Bay, all connected by underground cables. In 2023, the project team began community engagement in the region through a series of community and supply chain events in Caithness and neighbouring Orkney.
TWP anticipates returning to Caithness with further information on the locations of the substation, landfall and cables in the second quarter of this year in order to seek further feedback from the community.
Upcoming project milestones in 2024
TWP’s two ScotWind projects are on track to achieve a series of consenting and engineering milestones this year.
The offshore scoping report for Ayre is due to be submitted in spring 2024. For the Bowdun Offshore Wind Farm, which is a 1GW fixed-foundation project off the coast of Aberdeenshire, both onshore and offshore scoping reports are scheduled for submission this summer.
The pre-FEEDS (Front-End Engineering Designs) for both projects are underway.
Ian Taylor, Project Director at TWP, said: “Despite the projects facing a series of challenges over the course of 2023, they remain on track. We have navigated a way through these difficult times in the offshore wind sector thanks to active collaboration with the group of ScotWind developers and government agencies. The way we have pulled together in 2023 is breaking new ground for the energy sector and gives us great confidence in the future.”
Trudy Morris, Chief Executive, Caithness Chamber of Commerce: Investing in the young workforce supports the whole of the North Highlands.
As we welcome the new year, businesses continue to face immense pressure. The UK economy is still fragile, and the risk of recession remains. Businesses that have persevered through the long COVID recovery and subsequent hardships that followed, are again confronted with a difficult year ahead. Recent studies have warned that insolvencies will continue to increase and could reach a 20-year high in 2024[1], which is a serious cause for concern for the wider business community and at a local level.
According to the latest results published by the Scottish Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Economic Indicator, Q4 2023, it is clear Scotland’s economy is stuck in a low growth cycle. Persistently high inflation, higher borrowing costs, frozen investment and ongoing global uncertainty are placing businesses under significant pressure, while skills shortages and the availability of talent continue to act as major barriers to business expansion.
Despite the difficult conditions and unfavourable economic environment, it is inspiring to see that businesses in the North Highlands are committed to nurturing and supporting the young workforce. 2023 marked a significant milestone for the Caithness Business Fund, as it celebrated the support it has provided for 20 local apprenticeships in the Caithness and North Sutherland region. Significantly, 50% of these awards were made within the last 12 months. That’s 10 young people taking their first steps into the world of work, and what’s more, they have the opportunity to stay and work in our local area whilst gaining valuable skills and training in the workplace. Great news for both North Highland businesses and communities, especially at a time when ageing and shrinking populations are a major concern.
Investing in and supporting local talent and skills is not only a smart business decision, but also a long-term investment in the future of the North Highlands, our collective well-being, and the resilience of our economy and communities. These apprenticeships are a promising sign that despite the challenges, businesses are stepping up to support our young workforce.
Eligible SMEs can access grant awards of up to £5,000 for support with apprenticeships and associated training costs, intended to help ‘level up’ access to support smaller businesses to take on apprentices. I would encourage anyone interested in exploring this for their business to get in touch, the Chamber is here to help you through the process.
Signposting businesses to opportunities for funding support is just one of the ways the Chamber can help your business. From our lobbying and policy work to our business support mentoring programme, we offer a unique opportunity to access expert knowledge, advice and network opportunities. Through collaborative working with our partners, Caithness Chamber of Commerce connects businesses locally, nationally, and internationally with decision-makers and opportunities, leading the drive to promote the North Highlands as open for business.
The Chamber team has also been incredibly busy in recent weeks, actively organising the “Caithness Jobs and How to Get Them” jobs fair, which will take place 3rd February in East Caithness Community Facility, Wick.
We had fantastic feedback from last year’s event which showcased 43 local and national exhibitors and attracted over 300 visitors from right across the career spectrum. This year’s event is on track to follow in its success. We have been overwhelmed by the positive response from local business leaders and it is fantastic to see everyone committed to supporting the initiative.
Navigating the future with Focus North, Peter Faccenda, Focus North Programme Manager.
It is true that there are currently some significant economic headwinds which are affecting all of us in both our business and personal lives. Whilst there are short term challenges it’s worth remembering the medium to long term opportunities that are gathering pace in our region. Over the next 15 to 20 years, we will be undertaking one of the biggest changes in the way we power our society with Caithness and Sutherland at the centre of this revolution.
In her introduction Trudy spoke about the exciting developments for supporting apprentices, and Focus North’s goal is to build on that. As we enter a new era of job creation, we must support our young people to adapt and be at the forefront of the region’s innovation. Offshore wind developments alone would provide a wide variety of career opportunities, requiring a range of skills from engineers to ecologists, divers to data processors, managers to mariners. To add to this there are opportunities in the space industry, and the vital need to restore up to 180,000 hectares of Peatlands in the Flow country supported by environmental scientists and a range of land-based jobs. There are huge opportunities across the region with high value, future facing jobs and real change is underway to make sure young people, local businesses and the supply chain are prepared for it and will benefit from it.
Following a successful launch in 2023, we’re currently preparing for the Focus North Conference ’24 where attendees will have the chance to hear from industry leaders who will share their expertise and vision for the future of Caithness and Sutherland. There will be an opportunity to participate in an interactive panel session and gain knowledge of future opportunities focused on growing, developing and diversifying a sustainable economy in the north of mainland Scotland.
Keep an eye out for further details about the event which is taking place on the 19 March 2024 at the Norseman Hotel, Wick from 9.30 – 14.30. We’re looking forward to a day packed with inspiring speakers, engaging topics, and valuable networking opportunities.
[1] https://www.forbesburton.com/news/two-separate-studies-warn-of-tough-2024-for-uk-businesses
INFLATIONARY CONCERNS EASE BUT REMAIN HIGH: Concern over inflation has fallen to 52% for this quarter – compared to 75% in the last quarter – and this is the lowest that concern from inflation has been in all of 2023. 52% is still 20 percentage points higher than the 32% recorded pre-inflation crisis in Q1 2021.
INVESTMENT IS STILL FLATLINING: While on balance, more firms continue to report increases in investment than falls, over half of firms continue to report no changes to both total (55%) and training (54%) investment.
INTEREST RATES RISES REMAIN A CONCERN: Concern over interest rates was reported by half of firms in the last quarter, that has now fallen by 10 percentage points to 40% for this quarter but is still significantly higher than the 15% recorded in Q1 2021 pre-inflation crisis.
PRICE RISES HAVE STABILISED: Less firms are indicating that they will raise prices this quarter compared to last, following the trend over 2023. Four in 10 now indicate they will raise prices in the next quarter compared to 48% in the last quarter.
LABOUR MARKET REMAINS TIGHT: Recruitment difficulties remain challenging, impacting 40% of firms this quarter, with associated labour costs still affecting seven in 10 firms.
Stephen Leckie, President of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce said:
“These latest survey results paint a clear picture: Scotland’s economy is stuck in a low growth cycle. Persistently high inflation, higher borrowing costs, frozen investment and ongoing global uncertainty are placing businesses under significant pressure.
“These issues must be addressed by all parties at the next General Election with businesses expecting clear plans which will boost economic growth and investment. Parties of all colours will be tested on whether they are listening to business and taking real action to back business growth.”
On the labour market, Stephen Leckie said:
“Skills shortages and availability of talent continue to act as a major barrier for business expansion. The Scottish Government’s £2.4 billion investment into colleges, universities and the wider skills system must remain agile to align with future economic demand to ensure we have a talent pool ready to contribute to the economy.
“Businesses are rightly asking why practical existing schemes such as the Flexible Workforce Development Fund have been scrapped, considering the challenges firms face regarding training and upskilling talent. The news of a reduction in funded University places is also a major concern for the business community when we need as many highly skilled graduates to enter the workforce as possible.
“On top of these concerns, companies are now grappling with the increasing tax burden of working in Scotland, making it more challenging to retain and attract talent. The introduction of a new income tax band is impacting on our competitiveness and depleting the spending power of individuals in the economy. Anyone in Scotland who makes more than £28,850 will now pay higher taxes than workers elsewhere in the UK.
“Looking further afield, a coherent policy approach from the UK Government is urgently needed to attract and secure international talent. Recent announcements have caused confusion and impacts on our global reputation, which risks deterring skilled workers from choosing to live and work in Scotland.”
On inflation and interest rates, Stephen Leckie said:
“While concern from high inflation and interest rates remains high, the levels of concern have slightly eased compared to the previous quarter. However, this should not be interpreted as an improvement as these figures are still too high and contributing to low business confidence.
“Clarity on the future direction of interest rates policy will be critical to help unlock suppressed growth and investment in the economy.
“If as currently generally forecast, inflation continues to ease, we expect corresponding action on interest rates to stimulate much needed investment.”
On investment, Stephen Leckie said:
“Over half of Scottish firms continue to report no changes to investment which has exacerbated the low growth cycle the economy is now in.
“New and increasing regulations are adding extra costs onto businesses, squeezing our ability to invest and leading many sectors into legislation fatigue.
“The decision by the Chancellor to make full expensing permanent in the Autumn Statement was welcome but more must be done to shift the dial and incentivise firms to invest.”
Commenting on the survey results, João Sousa, Deputy Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute, said:
“The final quarter of 2023 was full of policy events and economic news at both UK and Scottish level setting out the context for the year ahead.
“Scotland might not be in a technical recession, but growth has remained subdued, in a stop-start pattern since the beginning of 2022. The latest figures show the Scottish economy just above pre-pandemic levels in October, following a monthly contraction of 0.5%.
“Prospects for 2024 are a little more positive than what transpired in 2023. This is reflected in the survey results being published today. Confidence has proved resilient; sales growth has continued and some of the cost pressures are starting to ease. These factors give us some confidence that there might be an uptick into more sustained economic growth in the year ahead.”
GMG Energy’s sawmill manager Vasile Damian.
GMG Energy, the rapidly expanding Highland timber products specialist which contributes significantly to the circular economy in the Highlands and the Northern Isles, is set to play a bigger role in Scotland’s construction sector.
The Halladale-based business has seen three of its senior employees, including Director Malcolm Morrison, secure visual softwood structural grading credentials which qualifies the company to supply builders and joinery businesses with the stress tested timber used in housing and commercial property construction projects.
Mr Morrison said: “As a result of securing these credentials, GMG Energy can now stress test wood to reach the highest building standards This, in turn, will lead us into supplying market demand for structural timber from joiners, builders and architects not only in the North of Scotland but throughout the country.
“We are now accredited to apply a unique stamp on specific timber products we manufacture to assure potential customers of its quality and fitness for construction projects.”
Alongside Mr Morrison, GMG Energy’s sawmill manager, Vasile Damian and his deputy, Adrian Cegielka, also underwent and passed an onsite five-days visual grading of softwood certification training and test challenge set by accredited training supplier, bmtrada.
“I’m delighted that all three of us passed our softwood structural grading test at the first attempt. The pass mark is 80 per cent and at £1350+ VAT each to undertake the course it’s a significant investment in training for a growing business like ours”, Mr Morrison added.
Mr Damian said: “Essentially we were taught how to identify four grades of timber: c14 and c18 are lower grades so do not take as much load-bearing weight, c16 is for general use for a house but has limits, while c24 is of a higher quality that can bear more weight and is used in critical structural situations.
“Obtaining the qualification is an important step for us as a company because it opens the door for us to more high-quality work within the construction sector.”
GMG Energy this year invested £150,000 in state-of-the-art sawmill equipment which takes its larger timber and processes it into posts, rail, cladding and purlins, or structural roof members.
It has also recently spent in the region of £100,000 on timber treatment equipment to help open up new markets among construction companies and farm businesses which require treated and stress-tested products.
As a major plank of its business model, the company is committed to replacing every log of timber that it uses, and plants 10,000 new trees a year, which grow to maturity in 35 years. It far exceeded this target in 2021, planting in the region of 20,000 trees.
The Caithness Business Fund is celebrating a successful year with the announcement it has provided support for 10 apprenticeships in the Caithness and North Sutherland Region in 2023. This is a significant milestone for the Fund, which has now provided support for 20 local apprenticeships, with 50% of these awarded within the last 12 months.
Reflecting the diverse employment landscape of the region, the 2023 grant awards have included support for apprenticeship opportunities in electrical installation, business administration, professional cookery, hospitality supervision and leadership, welding and fabrication and scaffolding.
Eligible SMEs in Caithness and North Sutherland can access grants of up to £5,000 from the Fund to help with employment and associated training costs for accredited apprenticeship opportunities within their business.
On behalf of Caithness Scaffolding Contractors Ltd, Mike Muir commented “During the latter part of 2022, Caithness Scaffolding had an opportunity to promote some of our long serving employees into roles in our Management Team. The situation created the requirement for two new employees to be recruited to support our activities on the Dounreay Site, and it was decided these posts would be best filled by offering the candidates a Modern Apprenticeship.
Scaffolding Apprentices, Jack Steven and Liam Farquhar, Caithness Scaffolding.
“The decision to recruit two apprentices was made easier by the availability of funding through the Caithness Business Fund. The grants received from the Fund have been used to support both vocational and on the job training programmes for the apprentices.
Managing Director, Bert Macleod expressed his appreciation of the Caithness Business Fund for their support in processing our applications and ensuring that the funding was made available shortly after the recruitment.”
The funding support for apprenticeships has been made possible by a 25-year commitment by Baillie Wind Farm Ltd to contribute £25,000[1] per annum to the Fund along with additional annual social value contributions by Cavendish Nuclear.
Trudy Morris, CEO Caithness Chamber of Commerce said “I appreciate that for many small businesses employing an apprentice can seem quite a daunting investment, but the Caithness Business Fund is helping to “level up” access to apprenticeships, ensuring businesses and organisations of all sizes are equipped with skills needed both now and in the future.
“But supporting an apprenticeship isn’t just a good business decision, it represents a sustained investment in the future of the North Highlands, and we must work together to nurture our homegrown talent and provide attractive employment opportunities for our young workforce.
By enabling individuals to advance their employment, earning, and educational prospects locally, we can help to establish a more inclusive workforce and build resilience into our local economy and communities.”
The Caithness Business Fund is open for applications on a monthly basis and encourages enquiries from SMEs interested in apprenticeship opportunities to get in touch with the Fund administration team. The Fund’s mission is to promote the economic growth of Caithness and North Sutherland by supporting new and existing businesses and developing the skill base to meet new challenges. The Fund is available to both established businesses and start-ups, based in the Caithness and North Sutherland area.
Caithness Business Fund Enquiries: Tel: 01847 500104 Email: enquiries@caithnessbusinessfund. co.uk Website: caithnessbusinessfund.com
[1] Linked to the RPI
Trudy Morris, Chief Executive, Caithness Chamber of Commerce
Earlier this month I was invited to Holyrood by the Nuclear Institute Association (NIA) to the Nuclear Energy in Scotland Reception, hosted by Liam Kerr MSP, marking the start of a long-term conversation between MSPs, Civil Servants and Industry Representatives. The reception brought together key stakeholders and decision-makers with the ambition to help drive the Scottish nuclear industry forward.
Scotland has a long history of nuclear research and electricity generation, and the event reaffirmed our belief that nuclear has a home here in Scotland as part of our energy mix. The reception at Holyrood talked much about the nuclear renaissance.
Nuclear power stations and the nuclear engineering supply chain have generated enormous benefits for the people of Scotland and the legacy of nuclear runs deep through the North Highlands. Employment at Dounreay is vital to Caithness, directly employing over 1,200 people and supporting around 700 on-site contract workers, alongside a network of sophisticated local supply chain businesses – all supporting the highly complex decommissioning processes onsite. In many ways, nuclear is part of the contemporary, cultural DNA of our region. For many years, Dounreay has brought highly skilled, well-paid jobs to the local area, supported apprenticeships, and graduate opportunities and provided substantial, and tangible benefits to the local community through its socio-economic activity. You would be hard-pressed to find anybody in Caithness who doesn’t know somebody connected to Dounreay.
As we step forward as a nation towards a “Just Transition” our region’s assets including the highly skilled workforce, natural capital, and reputation for excellence will position the North Highlands as fundamental to Scotland’s transition to renewable power, however the critical mass to meet the developments ahead will require careful planning.
As a nation we need to ensure all these industries can be resourced. As a North Highland community, we need to ensure the new opportunities of space and renewables complement rather than compete with our existing sectors. New nuclear south of the border may be a lure and an attractive proposition for those in the industry, however nuclear decommissioning is still very much a growth sector.
A large part of our work at the Chamber falls in harnessing and galvanising support for the new opportunities in our region. We work closely with stakeholders and developers to help steer and connect policy makers, decision makers and our local business community. Transformational projects in our region will play a crucial role in driving investment in our future skills, economy and infrastructure. But understandably, businesses and communities have questions too – what will this look like for us? What will this look like for our children or even our grandchildren? How do we prepare for what’s ahead, and most poignantly – how can we maximise these opportunities? The Chamber is here to make sure our region has a voice that is part of creating the narrative of our future, not an audience swept along by incoming tides.Key stakeholders including our two governments must work collaboratively to create a sustainable region, providing a healthy, economically stable environment for those living here. We need a larger working population, and this must be built into our regional strategic thinking. We need investment in our transport, infrastructure, and skills, and we urgently need to see rural communities put at the forefront of government decision-making. The legacy of Dounreay and its decommissioning will remain a beating current in Caithness and North Sutherland for years to come. The challenge now is to balance and develop the new opportunities ahead for the maximum benefit of our region.
Business Insight: Dave Calder, Head of Sustainability and Socio Economics at NRS Dounreay.
Our area is poised to step into a future of our own making and the time to make that happen is now. Here we sit, delicately balanced between the bright potential of economic growth and a demographic deficit potentially leaving us unable to deliver that future. A local decarbonised energy economy built on the back of 75 years of nuclear activity awaits and the challenge this brings with it, is how do we unlock the value to deliver a sustainable economy in the north Highlands for our communities and ultimately our future?
As has been publicised in national media earlier this month interpreting results from the September release of preliminary data from the 2021 census, the Highlands, and particularly rural areas such as Caithness have seen a fall in the younger population over the last decade or so which drives predictions of depopulation of 18% between 2018 and 2040 unless we act. So how do we develop, attract, and retain the skills and capability necessary to capitalise on the nuclear decommissioning activity locally and nationally, offshore renewables and emergent space sector of which Caithness and North Sutherland is the epicentre?
Although the direction of travel is promising, there are some challenges to be overcome. Recently, the Highland Council, a partner in Focus North, discussed two reports. One assessing the impact of depopulation, and a second on developing a strategy to enable a future workforce, the final version of which should be brought before the Council in May 2024. The paper refers to the Withers report produced for the Scottish Government earlier this year which describes ‘the current skills delivery landscape as complex and fragmented’ with several recommendations aimed at creating ‘a strong and fairer economy for all’.
How do we support working age repopulation in the area, to enable a sustainable economy? Well to first quote and then paraphrase the Withers report ‘our skills delivery landscape should aspire to be world class. It should be an area of distinct competitive advantage for Scotland’. For our area, working across the public sector and in partnership with the private sector locally, we have an opportunity to focus efforts and resources on creating a local skills agenda which creates an area of distinctive competitive advantage for northern Scotland. The time to make that happen is now.
With the new website launched for the UK’s only independent SMR development company – Community Nuclear Power Limited – it is with great pride that Prima Uno’s Sarah Purdham has been named part of the team for the company. Community Nuclear Power Limited is the UK’s only independent Small Modular Reactor (SMR) development company. Community Nuclear Power Limited brings decades of nuclear development and regulatory experience together with private investors. SMR technology is essential to meeting the need for clean energy. They are flexible, investable, and the technology is well understood.
There are several sites identified in Cumberland, the Northeast and other parts of the UK. These projects will support and enable long-term and sustainable development in the regions where they are situated. They will attract inward investment to the UK and support regional growth and the creation of local jobs and skills needed to support this emerging power sector.
Prima Uno will open the doors of its Centre of Excellence to work alongside Community Nuclear Power Limited to grow our younger generation in developing the tools, skills and experience needed for this new clean energy power sector. Prima Uno has a well-established training centre and training materials along with subject matter experts in estimating, planning, risk management and project management that will act as mentors to ensure our trainees develop best practise skills and that we leave a legacy and footprint for every region where the Community Nuclear Power sites are located. For more information on Community Nuclear Power Limited please visit the interim website where you can look at the projects and also meet the team.
Prima Uno is a Cumbrian based award-winning consultancy and APM Corporate Affiliate.
We operate in numerous sectors including nuclear, civil and infrastructure, rail, utilities, aviation, transport, oil and gas, local authority offering services in the following:
- Project Controls (estimating, cost engineering, planning and risk);
- Assurance on projects and programmes;
- Project Management;
- Programme Management;
- Portfolio, Programme and Project Assurance using best practise techniques such as P3M3 methodology, IPA and APM Independent Project Reviews, Maturity Assessments and Transformation support;
- In-House Risk Management Department;
- Forensic Schedule, Cost, Risk and Business Intelligence Laboratory; and,
- Centre of Excellence for Project Controls Development operating since 2014.
The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is looking for organisations to come forward with innovations to enable the remote monitoring of its legacy nuclear sites.
- The Remote Monitoring of Sensitive Sites: Phase 2 competition is managed by DASA
- The NDA is making up to £1.5 million of funding available
- Submissions must be received by midday (GMT) on 5 March 2024.
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has today launched Phase 2 of the Remote Monitoring of Sensitive Sites Competition, run on behalf of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).
Following on from Phase 1, which oversaw £700k in funding allocated between 10 innovative organisations, this competition will see the NDA make up to £1.5 million of funding available, seeking proposals for a complete autonomous security alarm and interdiction network (ASAIN).
The ASAIN concept aims to minimise human error when monitoring secure areas and can autonomously monitor, track and detect security breaches. This keeps human operators out of harm’s way while giving them the information they need to inform their response.
The NDA is responsible for decommissioning the UK’s earliest nuclear sites safely, securely and sustainably.
The estate spans 17 nuclear sites across the UK, made up of around 950 hectares of designated land on which over 800 buildings are located, and security of these sites is paramount.
Innovative solutions are being sought to explore how the estate can be kept secure remotely to help augment existing arrangements, manage risks proportionately and deliver value for money for the taxpayer – with an ambition to look at how the technology could be utilised across other sectors.
Andrew Gray, the NDA’s Innovation Delivery Manager, said:
“Keeping our sites safe and secure is absolutely critical to delivering our mission in line with our regulatory obligations.
“We are continually seeking cutting edge technologies and innovative solutions to enable us to overcome the challenges we face in nuclear decommissioning, and deliver effectively and efficiently for the public.
“We look forward to seeing the concepts that are put forward and exploring how we can share the benefits more widely across the nuclear industry and other sectors.”
The competition will have a 6 month initial development phase followed by a 12 month test and evaluation phase on an NDA site.
Suppliers will be invited to a demonstration event after the 18 month contract is completed, where they will demonstrate their systems to stakeholders from across the Defence and Security and Nuclear Decommissioning communities.
Remote Monitoring of Sensitive Sites: Phase 2
Remote Monitoring of Sensitive Sites: Phase 2 seeks innovative capabilities that can augment traditional high security systems used to protect high security areas (HSA). This Themed Competition aims to develop technologies that can form the basis of an Autonomous Security Alarm and Interdiction Network (ASAIN). The ASAIN should be:
- easy to deploy and operate
- able to be integrated with other digital technologies
- highly autonomous
- built with an override functionality to allow an operator to control all system assets safely and at will
If you’re interested in joining this Themed Competition, it’s important to familiarize yourself with Phase 1 and previous activities. Take a look at the funded bids in Phase 1 of Remote Monitoring of Sensitive Sites here.
Collaboration is encouraged for this competition, and we will support this through a DASA hosted Collaboration Event and a match-making survey.
Key dates and funding
- £1.5 million (ex VAT) of funding has been provided by the NDA to fund contracts with a maximum value of £500,000 (ex VAT) each.
- We anticipate funding 3 to 5 proposals with contract durations no longer than 18 months to deliver stages 1-3.
- The contracts will aim to start in May 2024 and finish in November 2025
- A Collaboration Event will be taking place in Southampton on 17 January 2024
- Pre-bookable 1-2-1 telecom sessions will take place on 24 January 2024
The deadline for submissions is midday (GMT) on 5 March 2024.
Have an innovation? Read the full competition document and submit a proposal
Scope and challenge
This competition seeks innovative solutions to ensure the safety and security of NDA sites, with consideration paid to the delivery in line with the site risk reduction curve during the decommissioning process and delivering value for money.
Currently, NDA sites have high-level security measures in place designed to protect nuclear material (NM) and other Radiological Material (ORM). These current measures are diverse throughout the NDA group and are in line with associated risks. As the NDA’s decommissioning mission evolves, they are seeking more appropriate, efficient and/or cost-effective solutions for future security needs.
Replacement security systems will reduce the need for current measures, whilst also boosting confidence in detecting potential security breaches and enabling swift response.
Learn more in the full competition document and submit a proposal.
Collaboration Event and 1-2-1 sessions
If you are eager to collaborate, DASA and the NDA are hosting an in-person collaboration event on 17 January 2024 in Southampton to support initial conversation.
To express your interest in attending the collaboration event please go the Eventbrite page to register.
We are also providing the opportunity for you to attend a pre-bookable 1-2-1 telecom session on 24 January 2024 for you to ask your questions directly to the project team. Book your place here.
Submit a proposal
Can you help the NDA to achieve a step change improvement in its remote monitoring capabilities? If you have a viable security system that replaces traditional high security systems, DASA would like to hear from you. Read the full competition document and submit a proposal.
- DASA has launched a new Themed Competition: “It’s Good for Missiles to Talk” (Phase 2)
- Funding provided by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and forms part of the Cooperative Missile Project
- Up to £1.6 million (ex VAT) is available with an expectation to fund multiple proposals between £100,000 to £300,000 (ex VAT) over a maximum project duration of 12 months
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch a new Themed Competition: It’s Good for Missiles to Talk Phase 2. The aim is to identify and develop novel technologies that could be exploited in the development of a new category of missile – cooperative missiles.
Cooperative missiles can communicate with each other, share situational awareness and organise themselves to ‘work together’ efficiently, during an engagement and within operator-set constraints, to achieve a common objective. The aim of the work is to:
- Develop technologies to deliver cooperative missiles
- Demonstrate how the capability could be integrated into future systems
The implementation of cooperative missiles will offer UK armed forces’ enhanced capability, providing a significant advantage in comparison to current capability. There are many benefits that can be realised. For example, considering collateral damage during missions or live safety data updates if non-combatants enter the battlefield post-launch. Cooperative missiles can share this vital information to ensure an abort function is carried out live during a mission, under human operator authority.
It is important to note that the operation of UK missile systems will always remain under human control and we are only interested in technologies that could enable cooperation between missiles within this context.
Key Dates and Funding
- Up to £1.6 million (ex VAT) is available for this competition with an expectation to fund multiple proposals between £100,000 to £300,000 (ex VAT) over a maximum project duration of 12 months
- Submission deadline is midday (GMT) on Tuesday 20 February 2024
- A Q&A webinar will take place on Tuesday 12 December 2023 with 1-2-1 sessions taking place on Tuesday 19 December and Tuesday 16 January 2024.
Can you deliver an innovation which could aid in the development of cooperative missiles? Read the full Competition Document
The Challenge Areas
This competition has five challenges:
- Distributed target detection and identification
- Data processing on board and between missiles
- Enhanced navigation through cooperation
- Finding and engaging multiple targets distributed over a wide area
- Novel Missile Communication Systems
Read more about the challenge areas in depth and the competition requirements in the full Competition Document
Phase 2 of this DASA competition builds on Phase 1 with more focused challenge areas. Proposals from innovators that seek to expand on their Phase 1 work are welcome, as well as innovators that are new the competition. Successful submissions into phase 2 will identify and increase the maturity of novel technologies to enable exploitation in future cooperative missile programs.
We encourage proposals where the innovation should output over a range of Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3-5.
Successful proposals will present credible plans for progressing new, advanced technologies which could underpin a future cooperative missile.
Please note that throughout this competition UK missile strategic partners MBDA and Thales will provide technical support to the MOD competition team.
Supporting events
Tuesday 12 December 2023 – dial-in Q&A webinar. This session will provide further detail on the problem space from the MOD competition team and provide a chance to ask questions in an open forum. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page.
Tuesday 19 December 2023 and Tuesday 16 January 2024 – a series of 20 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions to the MOD competition team. If you would like to participate, please register on the below Eventbrite page. Booking is on a first come first served basis.
1-2-1 Session Tuesday 19 December 2023 – Eventbrite link
1-2-1 Session Tuesday 16 January 2024 – Eventbrite link
Submit a proposal
Do you have a novel technology that could be exploited to help develop cooperative missiles? For full details and to submit a proposal, read the full Competition Document.