The Ministry of Defence has confirmed steps to improve access to its test and evaluation ranges for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including those without existing sponsorship links to the department.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Mark Francois MP (Conservative – Rayleigh and Wickford), Defence Minister Maria Eagle said that SMEs are “a valuable source of technical innovation in defence” and acknowledged their central role in economic growth and capability development.
Eagle explained that SMEs may apply to use many Ministry of Defence test ranges via the Test, Trials, Training and Evaluation (T3E) Service, which is managed on behalf of the MoD by QinetiQ. She confirmed that “this includes enterprises that do not have a MoD sponsor.”
The initiative forms part of the wider Defence Industrial Strategy and the department’s ongoing Test and Evaluation Transformation Programme, which seeks to modernise the UK’s testing infrastructure and streamline access for innovative firms.
“The Department is reviewing how best to support SMEs with access to relevant test facilities, including MoD and commercially run test ranges available to UK companies,” Eagle added.
The move is intended to lower barriers for entry to the defence sector, particularly for emerging technology companies that may lack established government ties. By expanding independent access to test facilities, the MoD aims to accelerate innovation while increasing participation from agile, UK-based firms developing next-generation capabilities.
Interested SMEs can explore opportunities through the T3E portal, which provides access to a range of test and evaluation resources across the UK.
This *might* help if the Elf’n’safety paperwork’s wasn’t such a nightmare.
I know of systems being tested in the Nordics, where wages are hardly cheap. Simply because of how onerous the UK H&S systems are.