HMGCC hosts behind the scenes tour for Security Minister Dan Jarvis

Last week HMGCC welcomed Minister of State for Security Dan Jarvis through its doors to hear more about our critical work for national security.

This was the security minister’s first visit to Hanslope Park, where he met our engineers and was given a special tour of our cutting-edge facilities.

His visit allowed him to glimpse our newly built Power Sources Centre of Excellence, which commissions and tests a range of power sources for electronic equipment deployed to users across the globe. The centre will provide an important base for collaborative work with partners across government, industry and academia.

The tour also comprised our manufacturing facility, where we explained how our experts design and craft products for national security missions, creating what is needed, often to a short deadline.

Our work with industry and academia also played an important part of the day, with the minister given an overview by our HMGCC Co-Creation team.

This team regularly publishes tech challenges online, inviting experts from companies and universities to take part in funded projects to find solutions to some of national security’s most difficult problems.

The minister heard how innovation to support national security technology challenges has been found in often unexpected areas of research and industry, in turn helping boost economic growth.

The Minister for Security said: “National security is the first duty of government and, as threats against the UK both increase and adapt to take advantage of new technologies, we must evolve our response to stay ahead.

“HMGCC is at the forefront of our technological defences. It was a privilege to see first-hand how its pioneering work is designed and developed, and how expertise is shared and enhanced with partners in the industry. The UK needs HMGCC to continue to innovate and to lead the way in the ever-changing landscape of national security.”

HMGCC CEO George Williamson said: “The minister’s valued interest in our work and in the vital role we play in supporting the whole of the national security community is so important to us. This visit has given us a wonderful opportunity to showcase the amazing work we do to keep the country safe.

“We had a lot to update the minister about, including our growing collaboration with industry and academia, and how we can support the growth of young technology companies. We also had the chance to show some of the world-class facilities we have here at HMGCC which support our hundreds of scientists and engineers in carrying out their crucial projects.”