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.
How about not requiring 25 years of contract history, 75percent ethnic minority lesbian women, a pro lbgtqbdksirbhxiskrhjdosndb+-(); recruitment policy, a 15 partners around the world manufacturing anywhere but the UK, and all the other hurdles then evil service has put in the way of buying anything from the UK? Then go and look at what is being offered and funding it to a proof of concept stage in the UK, followed by finding a prototype made in the UK then a full production run with the bills paid on time? You know this would allow British companies half a chance. To allow them a full chance then sort out the cost of energy by building, not planning for hundreds of years but actually building, nuclear reactors?
No I am not against the groups earlier, I am not in favour of discrimination in either direction, I am in favour of employing the people best able to do a job
The UK has a fantastic track record in developing unicorns, ranking third globally, so the conditions are there outside defence – we just need to remove blockers inside the defence sector where possible
Ukraine:
‘In December 2024, by presidential decision, each combat brigade began receiving a separate budget for UAVs and counter-UAV systems, which commanders can spend according to their operational needs. This measure provided a powerful stimulus to the defence market by significantly expanding the number of active buyers and enabling direct, continuous feedback from the front line.
In practice, this mechanism functions as a brigade commander’s reserve fund — a tool that allows units to procure urgently needed solutions here and now, without lengthy bureaucratic procedures. According to the military personnel interviewed for this article, despite inherent risks of misuse, the system operates under law enforcement oversight and has proven highly effective under wartime conditions.’
Are we delegating down to this level?
We certainly should be…maybe even further, down to Regimental/Battalion level… If we wait for ‘wartime conditions’ it will be too late.
If the Ministry of Defence is not capable of relaxing the grip of its dead hand to this extent, then kit problems will continue for the foreseeable…
Britain’s military procurement system has been overtaken by the pace of technological change.
We don’t hear much about the MoD’s version of Ukraine’s DOT-Chain. Dot Chain Defence functions as a digital defence marketplace for Ukrainian-produced equipment. How is that working out over here, I wonder?