Guidance

Competition Document: Space to Innovate Delta Drop

Updated 2 July 2026

1. Introduction

This UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) competition is run on behalf of the UK Space Agency (UKSA) and Dstl. The UK Space Agency (UKSA) and Dstl are seeking proposals that can aid UK government to develop future space technologies of benefit across multiple HMG uses. We are looking for innovative solutions that can address the challenge areas described in the document.

In this competition we will be running a two-stage process. UKDI has introduced this 2-stage submission process to help innovators understand early on, and with reduced effort, if their idea is appropriate for the competition and to make the review and decision making process more efficient. The table below summarises the differences and expectations of the 2 stages.

STAGE	PURPOSE	EXPECTED CONTENT
Submission Stage 1	Initial innovation screening	Idea overview with outline technical plan
Submission Stage 2	Full detailed proposal review (by invitation only)	Detailed proposal with full technical description, detailed project plan and finance breakdown

All Stage 1 submissions will be carefully reviewed by the Dstl competition team. They will look for ideas that align well with the competition, demonstrate a strong chance of successful delivery, and meet the customer’s needs. Submissions that demonstrate a good fit will be invited to progress to Stage 2 and submit a full proposal.

2. Competition key information

Key Information	Competition Details
Stage 1 submission deadline	12:00 Midday on 28 July 2026 (BST)
Stage 1 decision release	12:00 Midday 04 August 2026 (BST)
Stage 2 open (by invitation)	12:00 Midday 04 August 2026 (BST)
Stage 2  submission deadline	12:00 Midday on 01 September 2026 (BST)
Total funding available	£985k.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL)	Expected to achieve TRL 3 to TRL 6.
Contract start month	Aim to start late November or early December
Project duration	Equal to or less than 18 months.
Risk Assessment Reference	RAR-TUVW7RN
Feedback release date	04 November 2026
Pre-sift criteria	See Section “Pre-sift Criteria”

2.1 Competition Specific Requirements

Please note that this competition has specific requirements as part of its pre-sift criteria . Only those proposals submitted for Stage 2 that demonstrate compliance with the UKDI pre-sift criteria will be taken forward to full assessment . These specific requirements include:

• In the financial plan, the payment milestones are such that approximately 20-25% of the total proposal value is spent within FY26/27
• The bidding organisation is UK-registered

For the full list of criteria, please see Section “Pre-sift Criteria”.

2.2 Where do I submit my proposal?

Both Stage 1 and Stage 2 forms are to be submitted via the UKDI Online Submission Service where you will need to register for an account. Only proposals submitted through the UKDI Online Submission Service will be accepted. Innovators are strongly advised to submit their proposal at least one hour before the deadline. Proposals submitted close to the deadline risk encountering issues that cannot be resolved in time. Responsibility for timely submission rests entirely with the innovator, no extensions will be made. If you are having problems submitting your proposal, email us prior to the deadline on accelerator@dstl.gov.uk or call 01980 950000 option 3 Monday to Friday 0900-1200 only.

2.3 Public facing information

Stage 1

Information supplied in this stage will be retained in confidence within UKDI for 12 months, and then destroyed. No information from Stage 1 shall be shared with any third party.

Stage 2

If you are invited into Stage 2 of this competition, when submitting your proposal, you will be required to include a title, Proposal Value Proposition Statement (PVPS) and a short abstract. The title, PVPS and abstract you provide will be used by UKDI, and Partners Across Government (PAG), to describe your project and its intended outcomes and benefits. They may be included at UKDI events in relation to this competition and in documentation such as brochures. As this information can be shared, it should not contain information that may compromise Intellectual Property.

2.4 Further guidance

For further guidance on what to expect during the submission process and how your proposal will be assessed, please see the following GOV.UK pages and forms:

• Submit a proposal
• Assessment process and criteria
• Defence and Security Accelerator: ethical, legal and regulatory guidance
• MODREC Guidance for Suppliers
• Competition Terms and Conditions
• UKDI contracting guidance
• Cyber Security Model
• How to get in touch with your local Innovation Partner

3. Supporting activities

3.1 Launch webinar

08/07/2026 – Launch webinar providing further detail on the problem space and a chance to ask questions in an open forum. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page. 

3.2 One-to-Ones

09/07/2026 – A series of 15-minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific technical questions to the competition team in a closed forum. Registration for these sessions will be opened directly following the launch webinar (08/07/2026), on the Eventbrite page. Booking will be on a first come first served basis.

Non-technical questions about the competition process should be sent to the UKDI Help Centre, accelerator@dstl.gov.uk.

4. Competition scope

4.1 Background

The UK Space Agency and Dstl Space Programme are launching this UK Defence Innovation (UKDI) campaign  to attract novel technological solutions from a broad range of innovators in order to alleviate some of the UK’s Space Technology challenges. With appetite for an increased presence in space for the UK, there is a need for more technologies to support those future missions and capabilities. Be it improved data flow, better signal processing, or use of new materials in space - innovation in all areas is vital to meet the demands being faced by the domain.

4.2 Scope

The objective of this campaign is to fund research into space technologies that may not otherwise be developed within the civil space industry. This will address a set of specific problems in the space domain, as outlined in the campaign challenges.

Funded projects are expected to achieve at least Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 (proof-of-concept) to TRL 6 (demonstration in a relevant environment) by the end of contract. Solutions currently at or above TRL 6 in a civilian environment may be eligible for funding where the technology requires development to operate in a Government or Security environment (potentially lowering the TRL).

We welcome proposals from across the full range of innovators including academia, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies, from both the UK and overseas that are registered in the UK . We also welcome joint bids which bring together the strength of different industrial or academic partners.

The campaign is open to innovators from both the existing space sector and those who have not traditionally worked in this domain. Previous experience of Defence and Security work is not a requirement.

4.3 Exploitation

Successful suppliers will be encouraged to submit follow-on proposals , which the Competition Team may consider after completion of the contract. The Competition Team may also elect to pursue any proposals assessed as “fundable but not funded” through a mechanism separate from the competition.

Successful suppliers will be invited to participate in a “Show and Tell” style event at an appropriate time. This event will provide an opportunity to present their work to a wider government audience and relevant collaborative partners, with the aim of raising awareness and facilitating further exploitation of the work undertaken.

5. Competition challenges

This drop has 3 challenges. Applicants can make multiple submissions as long as each submission is materially different. A total of £985K is available to fund the three challenges and it is expected that a number of projects will be funded in total. Across all three challenges, we expect projects to achieve TRL 3-6 at the end of the contract.

5.1 Challenge 1: Technologies to enhance future sensor to response capabilities, improving coverage and response times for SDA, ISR and communications missions

Contracts available for challenge 1:

• up to £125,000 (inc VAT) for 6 months
• up to £200,000 (inc VAT) for 12 months
• up to £400,000 (inc VAT) for 18 months

This challenge is funded by the UK Space Agency so VAT is included.

Challenge 1 Scope

This challenge seeks to develop technologies and demonstrations of novel communications, processing, storage, and connectivity for the space domain for government applications. We welcome technology to improve the speed of transfer of space and terrestrial sensor information to the operational decision maker and communicate out to the relevant effector. Technologies and techniques may include (as examples, but are not limited to) the following areas:

• Novel distribution of secure data from space-based sensors.
• Novel space-based networks, relays and systems to expedite data flow in the space layer.
• Innovations in the ground infrastructure to enable downlink and ingestion of space data to terrestrial systems or onward.
• Innovative processing methods to reduce data transfer burdens, thereby improving transmission and action speed.
• In orbit processing and storage capabilities.

5.2 Challenge 2: Novel technology approaches to self-protecting space based platforms

Contracts available for challenge 2:

• up to £125,000 (ex VAT) for 6 months
• up to £200,000 (ex VAT) for 12 months

Challenge 2 Scope

This challenge seeks to develop and demonstrate novel technologies in the space domain for government applications which could aid satellite self-protection or recovery from damage inflicted by space weather, debris or malign effects. Technologies and techniques may include (as examples, but are not limited to) the following areas:

• Novel satellite architectures to facilitate in-orbit self-repair and resilience including self-inspection and diagnostic capabilities
• Novel materials to enable self-healing structures or protective or concealing covers.
• Novel sensor applications and propulsion integration to facilitate autonomous collision avoidance.
• Innovative solutions to improve resilience to radiation events.
• Novel techniques for space object characterisation as per Cross-Government SDA requirements SR-7300.

We are looking for solutions that could be useful both in today’s operational environment and also for the next generation.

5.3 Challenge 3: Technologies to enable resilience against ground based electromagnetic threat

Contracts available for challenge 3:

• up to £125,000 (ex VAT) for 6 months
• up to £200,000 (ex VAT) for 12 months

Challenge 3 Scope

This challenge seeks to develop technologies and demonstrations for the space domain for government applications that enable resilience against ground based electromagnetic (EM) threat. Threats in this context could include, dazzling, spoofing, jamming, eavesdropping, or denial of service. Technologies and techniques may include (as examples, but are not limited to) the following areas:

• On-board hardware and software solutions to mitigate the impacts of EM threats
• Novel waveforms and regenerative payloads.
• Novel beamforming and nulling techniques
• Novel on-board decision making.
• Novel antenna arrays resilient to RF effects.
• Geolocation of EM effectors impacting space assets.

5.4 We are interested in…

We want novel ideas to benefit end-users working in UK defence and security. Your proposal should include evidence of:

• theoretical development, methodological advancement or proof of concept research which can demonstrate potential for translation to practical demonstration in later phases
• an innovative or a creative approach
• a clear demonstration of how the proposed work applies to any Defence and Security context

5.5 We are not interested in…

We are not interested in proposals that:

• technologies or systems relating to space launch
• space technologies where the commercial market is already strongly invested (e.g. general satellite communications)
• proposals relating to human spaceflight and exploration
• proposals which could be considered an irresponsible use of space (e.g. generating unnecessary debris, or violating international treaties)
• areas which constitute research into the specific areas of: Quantum Key Distribution (QKD); security and encryption of optical communications; general object tracking and re-entry warning
• constitute consultancy or literature reviews which just summarise the existing literature without any view of future development
• are an identical resubmission of a previous bid to UKDI, DASA or MOD without modification
• present more than one bid with the same technical idea amended for the different contract lengths
• offer demonstrations of off-the-shelf products requiring no experimental development (unless applied in a novel way to the challenge)
• offer no real long-term prospect of integration into UK Defence and Security capabilities
• offer no real prospect of out-competing existing technological solutions
• do not fall clearly into one challenge as outlined above
• need an extensive requirements development phase.

6. Critical elements to include

Stage 1

Stage 1 submissions must include the following elements:

• A description of what you propose to develop and against which challenge area, demonstrating alignment with the challenge
• A summary of how your technology works, being specific on expected performance parameters. Where possible include any evidence to support your claims (open-source literature, test results etc.)
• Any constraints on the use of your technology (e.g. a minimum size of satellite, large power requirements, etc.)
• Demonstrating how your proposal is new and innovative
• Expected project durations and start and finish TRL

Stage 2

When writing your proposal, ensure you have:

• focused on the Competition requirements but also included a brief (un-costed) outline of the next stages of work required for exploitation
• included a list of other government funding you have received in this area. Making it clear how this proposal differs from that work
• included a detailed project plan with clear milestones and deliverables. Deliverables need to be well defined and designed to provide evidence of progress against the project plan. Your deliverables must include a written final report and demons tration. The final report must include plans for potential future work to further develop the technology
• planned (and costed) attendance at the following meetings, which will all be in the UK.
  • a kick-off meeting
  • a mid-project event
  • an end of project demonstration
  • monthly reviews with the appointed Technical Partner and Project Manager  and a close-down meeting at the end of the project

These activities may take place virtually. Slides presented at these meetings should be appropriately marked and made available

• identified any ethical / legal / regulatory factors. Associated risks should have been added to the Risk Register in Step 5 of the submission service along with details of how they will be managed, including break points in the project if approvals are not received
• included any requirements for access to Government Furnished X (GFX). GFX is the preferred nondescript term for anything that the Government provides in which the ‘X’ could be artefacts such as information or equipment. UKDI cannot guarantee that GFX will be made available. You should have included an alternative plan in your proposal in case it is not available.

7. Accelerating and exploiting your innovation

Ensure your deliverables are designed with the aim of making it as easy as possible for assessors to recognise expected development in technology maturity of the potential solution over the lifetime of the project. Specifically, how this demonstrates improved capability against the current known (or presumed) solutions.

Over the lifetime of UKDI awarded projects, ideas may mature and accelerate under the guidance of appropriate stakeholders, toward being functional capabilities. How long this takes, and how far towards a deployable capability the innovations progress, will depend on any future exploitation after the completion of the UKDI project.

Low TRL research and development may not be able to articulate exploitation in great detail, but it should be clear that there is credible advantage to be gained from the technology development.

7.1 Exploitation beyond your project plan

Include the following information within the Desirability question within the UKDI Online Submission Service application form to help the assessors understand your exploitation intentions:

• For projects reaching TRL 6, expected additional work required beyond the end of the contract to develop an operationally deployable commercial product (for example, “scaling up” for manufacture, cyber security, integration with existing technologies, environmental operating conditions)
• For projects reaching TRL of less than 6, costed contract options for follow-on work to achieve TRL 6.
• additional future applications and wider markets for exploitation
• wider collaborations and networks you have already developed or any additional relationships you see as a requirement to support exploitation
• how your product could be tested in a representative environment in later phases
• any specific legal, ethical, commercial or regulatory considerations for exploitation

8. Pre-sift Criteria for Stage 2

Before your proposal is assessed, all proposals will be checked for compliance with the UKDI pre-sift criteria.  Proposals will be rejected before full assessment if they do not comply.

For more information on how your proposal will be assessed please read Assessment process and criteria.

Space to Innovate – Delta Drop pre-sift criteria is as follows:

Criteria	Measure - Within scope (Pass) / Out of scope (Fail)
A Stage 1 proposal was submitted and an invitation to submit to Stage 2 was issued	Pass / Fail
The proposal outlines how it meets the scope of the competition	Pass / Fail
The proposal explains how it meets the UKDI criteria (Desirability, Feasibility%20for%20procurement-,Feasible,-You%20should%20assess), and Viability) in the relevant questions in Step 3 of the submission service	Pass / Fail
The proposal must contain a financial plan, a project plan and a resourcing plan which demonstrate how the work proposed will be completed	Pass / Fail
The delivery schedule within your proposal includes evidence of a written final report and demonstration	Pass / Fail
The proposal confirms there is no need for MODREC	Pass / Fail
The final deliverable month indicated must be less than or equal to 18 months from T0 where T0 is the project start date agreed by both parties	Pass / Fail
The proposal addresses how it will meet the TRL requirement (TRL 3 to 6)	Pass / Fail
The  proposal specifies the payment milestones such that between 20% and 25% of the full proposal value is spent within FY26/27	Pass / Fail
The proposal does not contain attachments that have been used for additional text data over the stated word counts in Desirability, Feasibility, Viability and Additional Information	Pass / Fail
If the proposal is a resubmission of a previous one, it adheres to the resubmission guidelines	Pass / Fail

9. How your proposal will be assessed 

Stage 1

All submissions received by the Stage 1 deadline will be reviewed by representatives from Dstl and the UK Space Agency and a decision made regarding the suitability of the innovation described. The review will determine:

• Relevance to Customer Requirement: Reviewers will be looking for evidence that your innovation fully addresses the problem posed by the selected challenge and an understanding of what sets it apart from existing capability
• Confidence in delivery: Reviewers will be looking for confidence that your innovation can reasonably be delivered from its current TRL to the expected TRL within the project timeline

Successful submissions into Stage 1 will receive an invitation to submit into Stage 2. Those not successful at Stage 1 will receive an email notifying them along with the key reason they weren’t successful but will not receive further feedback.

Stage 2

Proposals that are compliant at presift in Stage 2 will be assessed against  the standard UKDI assessment criteria (Desirability, Feasibility and Viability) by subject matter experts from the MOD (including Dstl), the UK Space Agency, UK Space Command (UKSC), PAG, and the front-line military commands. You will not have the opportunity to view or comment on assessors’ recommendations.

UKDI reserves the right to disclose on a confidential basis any information it receives from innovators during the procurement process, which includes the full proposal, to any third party engaged by UKDI for the specific purpose of evaluating or assisting UKDI in the evaluation of your proposal. In providing such information you consent to such disclosure. Appropriate confidentiality agreements will be put in place.

After assessment, proposals will be discussed at a Decision Conference where funding decisions are made based on the assessments, budget and wider strategic considerations.

Innovators are not permitted to attend the Decision Conference.

10. UKDI Terms and Conditions

Please read the UKDI contracting guidance which contain important information for innovators. For this competition we will be using the Innovation Standard Contract (ISC), Terms and Conditions. Information on the relevant DEFCONs can be found by registering on the Knowledge in Defence site.

We require unqualified acceptance of the Terms and Conditions. Where innovator organisations have a commercial department, they will need to provide acceptance.

We will use deliverables from UKDI contracts in accordance with our rights detailed in the contract Terms and Conditions.

10.1 Feedback

Proposals that are unsuccessful at Stage 2 will receive feedback in the form of bullet points and a couple of short paragraphs after the Decision Conference.

Where a proposal meets the fundable requirements for a competition, but is not funded, UKDI will continue to seek funding and shall consider your proposal fundable for 12 months from the date of the feedback release.

We will share the abstract, Proposal Value Proposition Statement (PVPS) and title of your proposal with partners across His Majesty’s Government that may express an interest in funding the proposal through UKDI, in accordance with the competition document. We may also share this information on our cross-government Ideas Marketplace platform to foster collaboration and attempt to elicit funding. If partners across His Majesty’s Government wish to read the full proposal to decide if they will fund it, we will share the full proposal with them without seeking your permission if it is within 60 days of the feedback release date. If it is over 60 days since the feedback release date, we will seek your permission before sharing the full proposal with them.

For other potential funders, we will seek your permission before sharing the full proposal regardless of the number of days since the feedback release date.

In the event that funding becomes available, UKDI may ask whether you would still be prepared to undertake the work outlined in your proposal under the same terms. Your official UKDI feedback will indicate if your proposal was deemed fundable but not awarded funding at the time.

11. If your proposal is recommended for funding

Funded projects will be allocated a Project Manager (to monitor the project) and a Technical Partner (as a technical point of contact). In addition, the UKDI team may work with an innovator to support delivery and exploitation including, when appropriate, introductions to end-users and business support to help develop their business.

11.1 Cyber Security Model 

The Cyber Security Model (CSM) is how Defence builds cyber security into its supply chain.

On receipt of a FUND decision, successful innovators (and their sub-contractors) must prove cyber resilience before the contract is awarded. The start of this process is the submission of a Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ allows innovators to demonstrate compliance with the specified risk level and the corresponding profile in Def Stan 05-138, and the level of control required will depend on this risk level.

To expedite the contracting time of successful innovators we ask all innovators to complete the SAQ before they submit their proposal (this is not mandated). The SAQ must be completed using the Risk Assessment number RAR-TUVW7RN. The risk level for this competition is Level 1.

The SAQ will be automatically scored against the Cyber Risk Profile (CRP) and you will be immediately informed of the outcome, compliant or not compliant.

If non-compliant, you will be required to complete a Cyber Improvement Plan (CIP) before the contract is placed which will need to be reviewed and agreed with the relevant project manager. The CIP template can be found here.

Before you start your SAQ you will need:

• the Risk Assessment Reference (RAR): RAR-TUVW7RN
• a D-U-N-S number (a unique identifier for your organisation)
• a GOV.UK One Login

11.2 Export control for overseas partners

All relevant export control regulations will apply if a company ultimately wants to sell a developed solution to a foreign entity. All innovators must ensure that they can obtain, if required, the necessary export licences for their proposals and developments, such that they can be supplied to the UK and other countries. If you cannot confirm you can obtain the necessary licences as part of your proposal, you will be required to provide this information prior to contract award, should your proposal be selected for funding.

12. Points of Contact

During the competition phase all correspondence must be via the UKDI Points of Contact detailed below.

While all reasonable efforts will be made to answer queries, UKDI reserves the right to impose management controls if volumes of queries restrict fair access of information to all potential innovators.

12.1 Innovation Partner

UKDI has a team of locally based Innovation Partners that can provide support in working with UKDI. It is strongly recommended that you contact your local Innovation Partner to discuss your idea for any aspect of this competition.

You can initiate this through the submission of an  innovation outline via the UKDI Online Submission Service. This will close on 21 July 2026 to allow time for the team to respond ahead of the competition close.

12.2 UKDI Help Centre

Competition queries including on process, application, commercial, technical and intellectual property aspects should be sent to the UKDI Help Centre at accelerator@dstl.gov.uk, quoting the competition title. UKDI cannot guarantee a response to a query but we will make every effort to respond ahead of the competition close.