4th May 2017
Proposals for autonomous systems capable of handling the ‘last mile’ resupply of front line military forces from a physical base or logistics vehicle are invited for a 3-phase competition Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI) under the Defence and Security Accelerator – which was formed to support the development of innovative solutions to national security challenges.
‘Accelerator competition: autonomous last mile resupply’ is seeking solutions in the following three areas
- unmanned air and ground load-carrying platforms
- technologies and systems that allow load-carrying platforms to operate autonomously
- technologies to autonomously predict, plan, track and optimize re-supply demands
Up to £1.5m is available in Phase 1, where fully-funded contracts awarded under SBRI are likely to be between £40,000 and £80,000 and last for 6 months.
The competition is also trialling the new Short Form Contract introduced by the Ministry of Defence to ensure smaller firms have access to less complex contracting.
The deadline for applications is midday, 21 June. There will be a networking event for potential applicants on 23 May, followed by a webinar on 30 May.
An additional £1.5m may also be available in Phase 2, which includes proposed system designs and will only be available to projects funded in Phase 1. Phase 3 could include a longer period of trials and evaluation of promising proposals.