Defence funding: tactical open systems

Programme Funding level Sector Deadline / window Burden
Innovate UK: Counter UAS Technologies £300k to £1.25m grant; £5m total pot Counter-UAS, drone detection/defeat, resilient sensing, dual-use defence/security 3 Jun 2026, 11:00 High
UKDI: Map the Gap Phase 3 £2m total; likely 3 to 4 awards UAV sensing, autonomy, engineering recce, open data, TAK/MAVLink integration 16 Jun 2026, 12:00 Medium-high
UKDI: Innovation Support to Operations Expected up to £350k; £1m cap Rapid deployable defence capability, autonomy, sensors, navigation, fieldable systems Cycle 7 closed 12 May 2026; watch next cycle Medium
UKDI Open Call for Innovation Varies by cycle and phase Unsolicited defence/security innovation Expected to reopen before UKDI full operating capability in July 2026 Medium
Defence Innovation Loans FY26/27 Cycle 1 £100k to £1m loan Mature defence SME commercialisation 19 May 2026, 12:00 High
NATO DIANA Usually €100k Phase 1; up to €300k Phase 2 NATO dual-use deep tech, decision support, autonomy, communications, resilience, sensing Decision Superiority closed 5 May; wider 2026 challenges expected June Medium
UK R&D Tax Relief 20% taxable expenditure credit; enhanced SME support possible Engineering R&D: firmware, radios, mesh, embedded systems, prototypes, testing Claim through corporation tax process Medium
NATO Innovation Fund Equity; €1bn+ fund Dual-use deep tech, autonomy, sensors, compute, communications, resilience No fixed grant window High
NSSIF Equity; amount not published per company UK national-security deep tech, secure systems, autonomy, sensing, communications No fixed grant window High