Funder · Government

UK Defence Innovation (formerly DASA)

Runs United Kingdom Defence Innovation, the Ministry of Defence body integrating defence innovation programmes with operational requirements.

United Kingdomwww.gov.uk

Key stats

Annual funding—

Programs5

Active grants1

Total grants6

About

UK Defence Innovation is the Ministry of Defence's innovation delivery body, carrying forward the former Defence and Security Accelerator after the February 2026 absorption. The organisation sits under MoD with Dstl running the accelerator function, and its job is to find exploitable innovation that can strengthen defence and security advantage.

Its public routes are themed competitions, an open-…

Programs & grants under this funder

Defence Innovation Loan/26 Cycle 5

Supports Repayable loan instrument - of project costs in innovation through the Defence Innovation Loan.

1 grant

Defence Innovation Loan/26 Cycle 5

Between cycles

— pool

Biosecurity Frontiers

Funds UK-based organisations developing biosecurity innovations across biodetection, AI diagnostics, and non-pharmaceutical protective systems for national security.

1 grant

Biosecurity Frontiers

Closed

£2M pool

Defence Innovation Loans

Funds mature defence innovation in the United Kingdom through below-market loans for small and medium enterprises scaling new technologies.

1 grant

Defence Innovation Loans

Between cycles

— pool

Innovation Support to Operations Phase 3

Funds UK-registered companies delivering manufacturable, TRL 6-ready defence technology innovations scalable to operational use within twelve months.