R&D plan recognises need for UK to win race for technological advantage
Science and Technology Strategy for R&D ‘will lay the groundwork for decades to come’, claims UK government
The UK MoD on 19 October announced a new Science and Technology Strategy for R&D, set against the backdrop of the annual Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE) showcase of UK-developed systems (pictured).
This strategy includes ‘a renewed focus on data, including capture and curation, which will underpin research to identify threat trends and deliver generation-after-next military hardware’, the MoD noted in a statement.
Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence, said: ‘We are in a very real race with our adversaries for technological advantage. What we do today will lay the groundwork for decades to come. Proliferation of new technologies demands our science and technology is threat driven and better aligned to our needs in the future.’
The Science and Technology Strategy for R&D is intended to dovetail with the broader scientific ambitions of the UK government’s Research & Development Roadmap, published in July 2020, as well as the pending integrated review of defence and security capabilities.
The government hopes that these strategies will help the UK academic and industrial base to anticipate, invest in and rapidly exploit various critical technologies.
Public funds account for about 85% of UK defence R&D, so the military scientific community is financially dependent on the government – all the more so because initiatives such as the Defence and Security Accelerator are a major conduit for SMEs and academia to participate in programmes.
As part of our promise to deliver comprehensive coverage to our Defence Insight and Premium News subscribers, our curated defence news content provides the latest industry updates, contract awards and programme milestones.
More from Defence Notes
-
![Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack]()
Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
-
![How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?]()
How might European countries look to tackle drone incursions?
Disruption of infrastructure in Europe, whether by cyberattack, physical damage to pipelines or uncrewed aerial vehicles flying over major airports, as has happened more recently, is on the rise. What is the most effective way of countering the aerial aspect of this not-so-open warfare?
-
![Taiwan approved for $11 billion weapon purchase from US]()
Taiwan approved for $11 billion weapon purchase from US
The US State Department’s approval of a multi-billion-dollar sale of weapons to Taiwan includes tactical mission networks equipment, uncrewed aerial systems, artillery rocket systems and self-propelled howitzers as well as anti-tank guided missiles.
-
![Ireland spells out $2.3 billion shopping list in five-year defence spending plan]()
Ireland spells out $2.3 billion shopping list in five-year defence spending plan
Ireland’s multi-annual investment in capital defence spending is set to rise from €300m in 2026 to €360m in 2029–2030 with major upgrades across land, air, maritime and cyber domains.
-
![Canada to deepen integration of multi-domain capabilities to strengthen its defences]()
Canada to deepen integration of multi-domain capabilities to strengthen its defences
The Canadian Department of National Defence has created new organisations to manage the procurement and integration of all-domain solutions and allocated US$258.33 million to strengthen production capacities.
