UK launches three challenges to enhance biosecurity

UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) has launched three challenges as part of its overall ‘Biosecurity Frontiers’ competition to enhance the country’s defences against biological risks.  

UKDI is interested in solutions that: strengthen domestic supply chains, consider evolving threats, and are adaptable to a changing risk picture, among other things. 

According to an announcement on 15 April, UKDI will fund five to seven development projects – across the three challenges – to the value of GBP100,000 to GBP500,000 each.  

In total, up to GBP2 million has been earmarked for the challenges. 

Specifically, UKDI is looking for solutions in the following challenge areas:  

• Biodetection and bio-surveillance 
• AI and diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines 
• Non-pharmaceutical protective systems 

Companies with relevant solutions will need to submit a value proposition statement and an abstract outlining the intended outcomes of the development project. 

Submissions are due by 10 June, via the UKDI Submission Service portal. 

The successful companies are expected to commence work on the projects in September, and undertake development works for longer than one year. 

Innovations must progress through “at least one TRL [technological readiness level] during the project”. 

Throughout this time, UDKI says participants will undergo monthly progress reviews, ahead of a final project demonstration. 

UKDI envisages that these challenges will further its efforts to make the country “resilient to a spectrum of biological threats” by 2030, as outlined in the 2023 UK Biological Security Strategy. 

This spectrum of threats includes naturally occurring diseases and deliberate acts of aggression, whether they pose a risk to humans, animals, crops, or the wider environment.