Sandy Wilson, president and managing director of General Dynamics [GD] UK and vice president, Defence at A|D|S called for more joint industry focus on Research and Technology (R&T) expenditure as a crucial way to help U.K. defense exports thrive.
Wilson spoke at a Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) conference.
“At General Dynamics UK, we see ourselves operating in the middle of the spectrum of defence R&T activity where maximum benefit can be gained,” Wilson said. “If new technologies being developed by organizations like the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), universities, SMEs and many other companies could be evaluated rapidly before a decision is made to spend the considerable sums necessary to drive them up the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) ladder, real financial benefits could be delivered to the customer.
Wilson continued, “The ability to quickly develop novel technological solutions through intellectual partnerships between British prime contractors, SME’s, academics and organisations like the DSTL and the Centre for Defence Enterprise is key to helping industry and UK Government get the best value from their investments at home and convincing customers abroad to buy British.”
Wilson cited EDGEr UK, General Dynamics UK’s approach to getting best value out of his company’s R&T budget by focusing on nearer and medium term outcomes that can beneficially affect current military or security campaigns as an excellent illustration of putting this principle into practice.
“EDGEr UK facilitates our search for new technical ideas from across the supply chain–both big and small companies and universities,” he said. “We work with our partners to quickly assess whether their technology can lead to enhanced or new products, and if so help them bring it to the customer’s attention, whether here in the UK or internationally.”
Recognizing that most SME’s cannot financially afford a long, drawn out process, General Dynamics UK insists that the process is short and sharp to ensure SMEs can take part and benefit from the process. Throughout, General Dynamics UK rigorously protects its partners’ Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)–their principal asset.
Wilson stressed that EDGEr UK is complementary to the CDE and that technologies have been passed between the EDGEr UK and the CDE in the last 18 months.
In addition, Helen Almey, head of the CDE met with the EDGEr UK SME community at the recent JIRAD event at General Dynamics UK’s Newbridge, South Wales, facility.
General Dynamics UK has engaged with approximately 40 companies, more than half of which have been SMEs. Since it was created in 2008, EDGEr UK has produced a number of Bowman enhancements that are currently being fielded, amongst other successes.