We know that working with the national security community can be confusing. It’s complex for outsiders, including start-ups, academia, and established companies, to know where to bring a great new idea, innovation or product to the different organisations who help to keep the UK safe.
We are developing this page as a resource to help you know where to start, so check back regularly.
HMGCC Co-Creation is our path for bringing together the best in class across industry, academia and government, to work collaboratively on national security engineering challenges and accelerate innovation. It is a partnership with Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory), created to deliver a new, bold and innovative way of working with the wider UK science and technology community. Co-Creation is the front door to the HMGCC technology eco-system.
Keep an eye on the HMGCC news page for our latest challenges.
The Accelerated Capability Environment (ACE), part of the UK Home Office, rapidly identifies and develops practical solutions to the challenges posed by data and digital technology to front-line security and safety missions in government. Since being established in 2017, ACE has been actively collaborating with the private sector, academia, and the third sector, and has built a dynamic culture rooted in innovation, pace, partnership and impact.
Working with an extensive network of over 350 private sector companies - of which around 70% are SMEs - alongside 480 academic researchers and nearly 100 institutions, ACE is uniquely positioned to drive impactful solutions across a range of critical missions, including law enforcement, national security, and defence. ACE uses collaborative methods such as ‘rainbow team’ commissions, dragon’s dens, futures work, hackathons, and roundtables to co-create and deliver outcomes.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of GCHQ, was established in October 2016 to make the UK the safest place to live and work online. They support critical organisations across the UK, including the public sector, industry, SMEs, and the general public.
When cyber incidents occur, the NCSC provides effective responses to minimise harm, assist with recovery, and learn lessons to strengthen future resilience. Drawing on its deep understanding of cyber security, the NCSC translates this knowledge into practical guidance accessible to all. It works with industry and academia to enhance the UK’s cyber security capabilities and reduces risks by securing both public and private sector networks.
Based in London, the NCSC acts as a central point of contact for businesses, government, and the public, collaborating with law enforcement, defence, intelligence agencies, and international partners to protect the UK from cyber threats.
The National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF) is the UK Government’s corporate venturing arm for advanced dual-use technologies. It is a joint initiative between Government and the British Business Bank.
NSSIF enables UK National Security and Defence (NS&D) to adopt dual-use technology from the market at scale and pace. NSSIF does this through investing into aligned Venture Capital funds and directly into companies where there is a strong strategic case, signalling government and specifically National Security and Defence interest in those technologies. NSSIF also runs R&D programmes with portfolio companies to trial and adapt technologies as well as to deliver market insight to guide NS&D technology selection decisions. NSSIF’s unique combination of investments, R&D and insight drives strategic advantage to protect our way of life, whilst also promoting UK growth.
NSSIF’s themes of interest:
- AI, Data, Automation and Robotics
- Quantum Technologies and Semiconductors
- Space, Flight and Future Telecommunications
- Emerging Technology including Engineering Biology.
HMGCC and NSSIF are strategic partners, collaborating on R&D programmes, co-creation and tech due diligence.
The Secret Intelligence Service, SIS, (also known as MI6) routinely engage with industry and academia to help solve national security challenges through discrete channels. They are working to be more open and connected in order to ensure they can access innovative capabilities from across the UK.
For the first time in late 2023/spring 2024, SIS openly published seven problems, using several different channels (including HMGCC) to manage the responses. The problems covered a diverse range of subjects including AI, data analytics and secure communications. Almost three hundred companies responded, and SIS have progressed several of these, including in conjunction with NSSIF (the National Security Strategic Investment Fund).
SIS expect to publish further critical problems later in 2024 and early in 2025. They remain keen to engage with the widest range of partners – especially those who don’t traditionally work with national security. They know that many people and organisations are keen to find a better way to engage with them directly and are working on making this happen as soon as possible.