Accelerated contracts worth up to £100 million over four years are being offered to British technology firms with little or no previous business with the Ministry of Defence, in a search for the next defence unicorn, according to an answer given in Parliament.
Ben Obese-Jecty, the Conservative member for Huntingdon, asked what progress had been made in identifying the next British defence unicorn, with reference to paragraph 3.2.31 of the Defence Investment Plan published on 30 June.
Luke Pollard, the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, said: “The Government is making good progress in identifying and supporting the next generation of high-growth UK defence technology companies through initiatives set out in the Defence Investment Plan (DIP).
“The DIP confirmed that Defence is expanding its search for new defence unicorns through accelerated contracts of up to £100 million over four years for British technology firms that have had limited or no previous business with the Ministry of Defence. This work is being delivered through UK Defence Innovation (UKDI), which is helping to identify, support and scale high-potential defence and dual-use technologies.
“The Government will continue to work with innovative SMEs and scale-ups across the UK to accelerate the development and adoption of cutting-edge technologies, strengthening national security while supporting growth in every postcode.”
No company has been named, and the answer does not say how many such contracts have been let or are in prospect.
A second question from Mr Obese-Jecty, citing the same paragraph of the plan, asked in which month of 2026 the department planned to launch an online test and evaluation marketplace.
Mr Pollard said: “The Test and Evaluation Marketplace will help T&E users, both within Defence and industry to connect with suitable T&E facilities, capability and support services from both defence and the private sector. This is progressing to launch by the end of the 2026 calendar year, with a proposed date in November.”
That marketplace sits alongside Project Safari, the joint Ministry of Defence and QinetiQ programme announced on Friday, which is meant to give smaller companies a single front door into the test and evaluation estate and to speed up the approvals that govern trials.
