About Co-Creation

About Co-Creation | HMGCC

HMGCC Co-Creation, run in partnership with Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory), brings national security challenges together with the brilliant innovators who could solve them. Could you apply to take part in one of our tech challenges?

In brief

Our HMGCC Co-Creation team regularly launches new, funded challenge opportunities, inviting experts from industry and academia to apply to take part. On this page you will find the very latest.

The challenges we release are sourced from across the government’s national security community, offering companies and universities the chance to use their expertise to help keep the UK safe and prosperous.

HMGCC is known for delivering secret tech work for government, but HMGCC Co-Creation is a fast-paced, agile system through which we work with companies at classifications lower than secret.

We set each challenge over a period of 12-16 weeks, working closely with applicants and offering funding and expertise. Our contracting times are short, you will still own your IP, and we support you in driving early concepts closer to becoming real world solutions.

Captions and a transcript are available in the youtube video.

How does it work?

We publish challenges on our portal - a mix of hugely diverse and thought-provoking subjects which are tough for national security to solve alone. If you think you can help, then apply using our online form.

We focus on problem statements rather than locking ourselves to specific requirement sets, which means we can think freely and work in an agile and iterative way. All our projects are run at OFFICIAL level – the lowest security classification – so our engineers and our end-users can work hand-in-hand with anyone who’s able to bring us a brilliant concept. Working together in this way, we can break down barriers, accelerate the rate of innovation and create more real-world impact. Here, you will find our terms and conditions.

About Dstl

Dstl is a founding partner of HMGCC Co-Creation, working with HMGCC to help deliver a new, bold and innovative way of working with the wider UK science and technology community.

Dstl is the Ministry of Defence (MOD)’s science and technology organisation. It is one of the principal government organisations dedicated to science and technology in the defence and security field.

Dstl supplies specialist and sensitive services to MOD and wider government, working collaboratively with external partners in industry and academia and worldwide, providing expert research, specialist advice and invaluable operational support.

Our collaborators

Our growing network of community collaborators connects us to the UK ecosystem of industrial, academic and technology organisations, extending our reach and capability beyond our established, traditional supplier base.

HMGCC Co-Creation collaborator management: Axillium
HMGCC Co-Creation commercial collaborator: Cranfield University

Our network who circulate our challenges is currently made up of the following:

• ADS
• Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult
• Connected Places Catapult
• Horiba MIRA
• Innovate UK Business Connect
• Plexal
• Satellite Applications Catapult
• Silverstone Technology Cluster "STC"
• Tech UK

Our challenges

Open

AI-enhanced x-ray imaging for bomb disposal

Can you develop a machine learning-enabled solution that helps engineers identify, characterise, and understand electronic components using only x-ray images? To safely disarm explosive devices, skilled operatives sometimes use x-ray images to identify the electronic trigger and disarm it. However, this is difficult with complicated circuits and when the images are not clear. This is a 12-week funded challenge. Applicants must deliver a demonstrator at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 within the project period. HMGCC will provide funding for time and materials, overheads, and other indirect expenses for successful applicants.

Open

Hidden Stab Vests for Women

Can you develop discreet, wearable stab-resistant body armour specifically designed for women? Officers working in close protection units need to stay unseen and blend into the crowd, but they also need to protect themselves against possible attack. In this challenge we are focusing on finding the best hidden stab vests for women working in these jobs. We are interested in technologies, materials and garment designs that could provide effective protection against sharp bladed weapons, developed to a minimum technology readiness level 5 and designed for women from the outset. HMGCC Co-Creation will provide funding for time, materials, overheads and other indirect expenses for successful applicants.

Open

Multi-Terrain Micro Robotic Systems

Can you develop a miniature and highly agile uncrewed robotic system capable of operating seamlessly across water, land and air? This is the latest 12-week, funded challenge launched by HMGCC Co-Creation – now open for applications. Robotic platforms moving discreetly through complex built environments may need to switch between different routes and modes of travel. For example a robot might travel through water infrastructure, move across ground through confined spaces and then fly to reach a stairwell or elevated area. We are aiming to fund several ambitious proof-of-concept demonstrations exploring how future robotic systems could combine different types of mobility to access places that conventional uncrewed systems cannot reach. HMGCC Co-Creation will provide funding for time, materials, overheads and other indirect expenses for successful applicants.