The second phase of a DASA competition seeking innovation in electromagnetic hardware is due to be launched. The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) Metasurfaces competition has already created 12 new contracts across 9 countries, worth around £900,000.
Advanced metasurfaces science will allow better control electromagnetic waves, thereby giving an operator the ability to understand the battlefield better, communicate further and more securely, and do this more cheaply and with a smaller device footprint than the current technology. Phase 2 will culminate in a practical demonstration of the work to defence and security end users, with DASA expecting technology readiness level (TRL) 3 and above to be achievable.
DASA is accepting entries from researchers across the private sector and academia. Following phase 1, DASA is seeking follow-up proposals which incorporate breakthroughs in metasurface science for defence as well as other civil sectors.
Around £500,000 is available for phase 2 projects with contracts estimated to last around 12 months. DASA is aiming to promote collaboration across organisations with the second phase of the competition through a launch day and demonstration event on 5 September at Aston Villa FC in Birmingham.
Entries for phase 2 will close on 31 October 2019 with placements expected to run in Spring next year. Another competition, Advanced Vision for 2020 and Beyond, is looking for novel optics and materials for which metasurface-based solutions can be applied.
The launch event is set to be attended by representatives from Innovate UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network to see how electromagnetic materials can be utilised across other departments. Interested parties can sign up through Eventbrite and find more information on the government website.
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competition contract DASA electromagnetic funding Innovate UK metasurfaces