Government calls on UK industry to develop equipment for Ukraine’s defence needs
The UK government is calling on the “brightest minds” in the UK defence industry to develop ideas to support Ukraine’s armed forces.
A new £25 million innovation fund will support projects aimed at bolstering the existing provision for artillery, coastal defence, military logistics and resupply, and aerial systems, the government announced on 30 May.
“This £25m plus fund is designed to capture ongoing work and support innovative ideas to meet Ukrainian defence requirements,” said Jeremy Quinn, the UK’s defence procurement minister.
“Recent months have shown the ingenuity and innovation of the UK defence sector. We want to ensure ongoing creativity is harnessed and directed at key requirements and all companies with a capability that can help are aware of the challenge.”
The initial focus for proposals is on equipment that can be sourced and supplied in the next four months and the deadline to submit is 10 June.
The new fund comes after a string of government action in R&D to help Ukraine and its people during the ongoing war. In recent months, it has suspended publicly funded research projects with links to the Kremlin and unveiled a £3 million fellowship fund to support at-risk Ukrainian researchers.