UK Government is seeking new technologies and approaches in aviation security, for threat detection in particular, while minimising the inconvenience of passengers going through screening and of airports carrying out that screening. Hence the official Oxfordshire-based Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) has launched a competition looking for new technologies and approaches to better detect the widest possible range of explosives, weapons and other threat materials that can be taken on board an aircraft.
The CDE has two categories; screening of people and their hand luggage; and screening of aviation cargo and hold luggage. Up to £1m is available for phase one, the centre says. It expects to fund a number of projects around £40,000 to £80,000 with research lasting up to six months, and with phase one ‘deliverables’ completed by the end of October 2017. The competition closes on Thursday, January 19, 2017 at 5pm. Proposals must be submitted to CDE online.
Registration is open for a CDE networking event for science and technology providers, in London on December 1. Jim Pennycook, Head of Operations at CDE, will speak about proof-of-concept research funding.
