QinetiQ and the Ministry of Defence have announced changes to the Long Term Partnering Agreement (LTPA) that will lower costs and expand access to test and evaluation (T&E) facilities for small and medium-sized enterprises, according to the company.
The new T&E Innovation Gateway is intended to reduce barriers that have limited SME participation in defence programmes. QinetiQ said the initiative will provide easier access to expertise, ranges, and approvals needed to trial new technologies in operationally relevant environments.
Luke Pollard, Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry, was quoted in the announcement: “This Government wants more SMEs to benefit from the historic uplift in defence spending. To make defence an engine for growth, we need more SMEs to access the facilities to get their technology to the frontline. This investment is a big step forward and demonstrates our commitment to SMEs who play a vital role, not just in defence, but also in supporting the wider UK economy.”
QinetiQ Group CEO Steve Wadey spoke on the role of smaller firms in modern defence development. “More than ever, SMEs are key to accelerating the pace of innovation across defence and we want to help them bring their technologies to the frontline. Our investment in the T&E Innovation Gateway will not only provide easier access to our expertise and the facilities we operate, it will reduce costs, enabling more companies to develop and test their products in realistic operational scenarios, boosting defence innovation and economic growth in the UK.”
The company stated that recent work has already included supporting SMEs in the prototyping and evaluation of uncrewed air systems and counter-drone technologies through its DroneWorks test capability.
QinetiQ has set up a dedicated team to guide smaller firms through the process of accessing T&E resources, with the aim of accelerating disruptive technologies into service.
