Official DPRTE 2020 partner, the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), has awarded 13 contracts worth a total of £2.3 million to develop improved Electro-Optics and Infrared (EOIR) sensor capability.
The Advanced Vision 2020 and Beyond competition, run on behalf of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), sought innovation and novel approaches from industry, including small and medium-sized enterprises and academia.
Electro-Optic and Infrared (EOIR) sensors are a key military capability used for surveillance, reconnaissance, target acquisition, threat warning, target detection and more.
Potential use cases of the innovative approaches being developed include:
- Imaging in difficult environments such as through clouds or smoke, low or no light, and through foliage or camouflage
- Detecting and identifying small targets such as drones, snipers, people, weapons, and vehicles
- Identifying objects more than 20km away and classify friendly or adversary vehicles
Additionally, EOIR sensors offer a complementary approach to radio frequency sensors, being able to detect objects in environments where radar is challenged or to operate against objects that have a naturally lower radar signature so are harder to identify.
DPRTE 2020 Official Event Partners: DASA and Dstl
Andy Cole, Dstl Project Manager, said: “The ever evolving nature of military operations means that we wish to invest in novel and resilient technologies that can function in contested and congested environments, that will extend the range, lower the cost and size, and expand the range of targets that can be addressed by EOIR sensors.”
DASA associate delivery manager Katy Violet said: “DASA finds and funds the best innovative ideas and solutions from the brightest minds in science, technology, academia, and research to give our Armed Forces and security services advantage over our adversaries, while supporting brilliant UK companies from start-ups, small and medium-sized businesses, academia right through to major employers.”
Those awarded contracts are:
- Thales
- Teledyne e2v
- University of Strathclyde
- University of Exeter
- QinetiQ (2 funded proposals)
- University of Stirling
- Heriot-Watt University
- University of Bristol
- Iceni Labs
- Frazer-Nash Consultancy
- Living Optics
- Spectra Medical
DASA and Dstl are Official Event Partners at DPRTE 2020. The event’s Technology and Innovation Knowledge Transfer Zone will bring together some of the leading technology organisations, such as DASA and Dstl, to deliver sessions designed to keep you up to date on defence technology innovations, how to access funding and how you can bring your product to the marketplace.
Book your place today and join over 1,500 key decision makers at this hugely important one-day event – https://www.dprte.co.uk/book-now/
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Post written by: Matt Brown
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