£2 Million Available For Novel Human Augmentation Innovations To Enhance Human Capability In Defence

22nd April 2023

DASA has launched a new Themed Competition to develop and prototype human augmentation technology for defence.

DASA has launched a new Themed Competition: Human Augmentation (HA).

Funding provided by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) Human Augmentation Science and Technology (S&T) project.

Up to £2 million is available for novel, safe and ethical HA technologies to mitigate human performance as the limiting factor in Defence scenarios.

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch a new Themed Competition called Human Augmentation. Human Augmentation (HA) refers to the use of science or technology to temporarily or permanently modify human performance. This encompasses a range of technologies, including exoskeletons, wearables, genetics, brain interfaces, pharmaceuticals, and bioinformatics.

This Themed Competition aims to develop novel, Generation-After-Next (GAN) prototype HA technologies which can be harnessed safely and ethically that mitigate human performance as the limiting factor in a UK Defence environment.

Technologies that influence the following human capabilities and aptitudes include:

sensory enhancement to support mission outcomes

collaborative working (including human-human and human-machine)

attention during tasks with a cognitive element

enhanced decision making (reduced time and improved outcomes)

physical endurance

strength

overcoming limitations to physical and cognitive fatigue

Key Dates and Funding
Up to £2 million is available for this competition, and DASA expects to fund 5 to 10 proposals.

Submission deadline: midday on Tuesday 13 June 2023