Supercharging science: an open letter from Dstl chief executive

To scientists, technologists, engineers, innovators, researchers, and academics

I am calling on each and every one of you to think about how your work contributes to keeping our families, friends, and communities secure, safe, and prosperous – and to consider working with the organisation I lead, Dstl, to supercharge that effort.

In the starkest circumstances, coronavirus has demonstrated the crucial role that science and technology plays in keeping our loved ones out of harm’s way.

Likewise, the immense efforts of millions of people from across the nation – including everyone from the researchers developing vaccines to the technicians and analysts processing testing samples – has shown us what we can achieve at breakneck speed when we work together.

Post-COVID, we all have high ambitions for what our United Kingdom can achieve. And Dstl, the science inside UK defence and security, is at the forefront of that effort. The Prime Minister has set this country the challenge of securing science superpower status by 2030 – and we are accelerating our efforts.

As part of an unprecedented uplift to the defence budget, Dstl plans to spend in the region of an extra £1 billion with you over the next 4 years to tackle the threats we face beyond COVID-19.

These threats are many – from hostile states and terrorist groups through to global challenges such as pandemics and climate change. We’ll be advancing our work in artificial intelligence, cyber, space, autonomy and robotics, and casting our net further as we invest in emerging technologies of the future.

Dstl is a proven national asset – but we cannot counter the threats of the future alone. The world is changing, and we are changing with it.

Today, I am particularly calling on those who have not worked with us before to check us out and see how we can work together.

We need to harness the power of science, technology, engineering and innovation from across the private and academic sectors – from the individual inventor, to tech start-ups and beyond. As well as funding to fast-track your innovation, we offer access to our world-class scientists and facilities, the chance to work with the potential users of your technology, and the opportunity to make a difference by keeping our country safe and prosperous.

We are embarking on the most ambitious programme in Dstl’s 20-year history. The challenges are significant but if we get this right the rewards will be extraordinary.

I ask you to join us at our supplier event Supercharging Science on 22 July 2021 to hear more about our plans and the opportunities there are for you.

You can find out more and sign up to attend by visiting the registration site.

This is an incredibly exciting time not just for Dstl but for the whole UK science and technology community.

Together, let’s do something special.

Doug Umbers
Interim Chief Executive
Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

See full letter here.