Could your innovation support national defence?
Join the Janus pathfinder event on Tuesday 1 July for an informative session on how suppliers, especially SMEs, can gain access the Neutral Vendor Framework for Innovation (NVfI), a powerful route to market for supplying into defence and the wider public sector.
What the session will cover:
• What the Neutral Vendor Framework for Innovation is and how it works
• How NVfI reduces traditional procurement barriers and accelerates market access
• Eligibility and onboarding process
• Ensuring legal and regulatory compliance in public sector procurement
• Unlocking multi-sector opportunities through a single framework
How you can join
• Online from 12:00 – 13:00 for a presentation and Q&A
• In-person from 11:30 – 15:00 for the live presentation and networking in the DASA offices, White city
Constellia is the engine behind the NVfI, a procurement model developed in partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Commercial X that simplifies procurement for both suppliers and buyers.
The NVfI covers 14 critical science and technology areas that are strategically important to the UK’s national security and defence sectors. Whether you’re working on AI, drone technology, biomedical innovations, or cutting-edge R&D – NVfI can help get your solutions in front of the right public sector stakeholders quickly and efficiently.
About Janus – In partnership with the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), Janus is a consortium led by IoT Tribe alongside the SETsquared Partnership and Atmos Ventures. Janus gives startups the tools, network and momentum to turn bold ideas into operational capabilities for the UK and NATO allies.
Shine Bright and Celebrate Your Achievements with the 2025 Young Business and Entrepreneur Awards!
We are delighted to announce that our Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Young Business of the Year Awards are once again open for entries! These awards offer a prime opportunity for businesses to enhance their visibility and receive well-deserved recognition for their outstanding accomplishments and are designed to celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit that makes the North Highlands great.
Entries are open until 5pm on 31st July 2025 and winners will receive the following:
Young Business (less than five years old)
- 2 FREE places worth £160 at the Chamber’s annual dinner, for the presentation
- 1 year’s FREE membership of Caithness Chamber of Commerce
- Media coverage through press and the Chamber’s digital and social channels
- Highlighted profile on the Chamber’s website
- Young Business of the Year 2025 Trophy
Enter online now using this application form.
Young Entrepreneur (age 18 – 30 years old)
- £500 cash prize, kindly sponsored by Saffery Champness
- 2 FREE places worth £160 on the top table at the Chamber’s annual dinner, for the presentation
- 1 year’s FREE membership of Caithness Chamber of Commerce
- Media coverage through press and the Chamber’s digital and social channels
- Highlighted profile on the Chamber’s website
- The George Bruce Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2025 Trophy
Enter online now using this application form.
If you’d like any more information or just want to have a quick chat before applying, please contact us on fiona@caithnesschamber.com or 01847 890076. All applications must be submitted by 5pm on 31st July 2025.
| The NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) has announced its third annual set of challenges and opened a new call for applications.
DIANA is seeking innovative, ground-breaking solutions in the following ten focus areas:
Selected companies will receive €100,000 in contractual funding, with top performers eligible for up to an additional €300,000 in the next programme phase. Participants will also gain access to over 180 test centres, a tailored programme bridging defence and commercial sectors, and a network of top-tier mentors from across the Alliance. DIANA offers support and connections to help civilian-sector companies enter the traditionally high-barrier defence market. Applications for the DIANA accelerator are open until 11 July. The 6-month programme will begin in January 2026. All dual-use deep tech companies registered in a NATO member state are eligible to apply. More information, as well as the application form is available here: https://www.diana.nato.int/ |
In short:· NATO DIANA has launched its third annual set of challenges and opened a new call for applications · There are a total of 10 challenge areas · Selected companies will receive €100,000 in contractual funding · Closing date for applications is 11 July 2025 at midday (UTC) |
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Taking place on Friday 26 September, the Highland Business Awards is one of the flagship events of Inverness Chamber of Commerce that celebrates the achievements of businesses throughout the region.
The Awards recognise the success of organisations large and small, new and well established, and across all sectors, while offering our business community the chance to socialise with colleagues, rekindle old connections and make new business relationships.
This year there are eleven diverse categories to choose from, so enter or nominate now to recognise the businesses and individuals that are integral to sustaining a strong Highland economy.
Nominations are open until 5.00pm on Friday 8 August. Please note there will be no extension to this deadline.
Tickets for the Awards lunch and ceremony are on sale now and can be purchased individually or for tables of 10. Full details can be found here.
We are delighted to welcome The Highland Council as Principal Sponsor.
2025 Highland Business Awards Categories
Highland Business Award for Innovation
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Resilience
sponsored by Caithness Chamber of Commerce
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Positive Environmental Impact
sponsored by Pentland Ferries
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Global Growth
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Most Promising New Business
sponsored by Business Gateway
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Best Marketing Campaign
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Outstanding Community Engagement
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Corporate Community Impact
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Employer of the Year
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Young Employee of the Year
Download nomination form
Highland Business Award for Business Leader of the Year
sponsored by Saffery
Download nomination form
Plus one business selected from the category winners will be awarded overall Highland Business of the Year.
sponsored by Balfour Beatty
Trophy Sponsor – W M Donald
| The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has just launched Phase 2 (Cycle 5) of our fast paced Themed Competition,Innovation in Support of Operations.
Run on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, this competition aims to identify and accelerate innovative solutions and techniques, ensuring they can be scaled and deployed faster than our adversaries. There are five Challenge Areas:
The UK Government is continually assessing lessons from world events. From these lessons, we seek to rapidly adopt solutions that enhance our military and economic advantage. This competition is designed to identify nearly-ready solutions and techniques that can be accelerated into scalable and deliverable effect faster than our adversaries. Do you have a suitable innovation? Read the full Competition Document and submit a proposal. |
In short:· DASA has launched Phase 2 (Cycle 5) of Innovation in Support of Operations · Funded by the MOD · Closing date for Cycle 5 is 5 August 2025 at midday (BST) |
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The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch Phase Two of our fast paced Themed Competition, Innovation in Support of Operations. Run on behalf of the Ministry of Defence, this competition aims to identify and accelerate innovative solutions and techniques, ensuring they can be scaled and deployed faster than our adversaries.
There are five new Challenge Areas:
• UAS Propulsion
• Repair of 155mm Artillery barrels
• Autonomous navigation systems for UAS and USVs
• Seekers
• UAS detect and destroy
The UK Government is continually assessing lessons from world events. From these lessons, we seek to rapidly adopt solutions that enhance our military and economic advantage. This competition is designed to identify nearly-ready solutions and techniques that can be accelerated into scalable and deliverable effect faster than our adversaries.
Do you have a suitable innovation? Read the full competition document and submit a proposal.
In short:
• DASA has launched Phase 2 of Innovation in Support of Operations
• Funded by the MOD
Learn more and submit a proposal
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch the Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025 as a new AUKUS Competition. Following the ministerial announcement in December 2023 to launch an innovation challenge series under the AUKUS partnership, this competition is the second iteration of AUKUS Pillar 2’s Innovation Challenge Series. The challenge has been trilaterally agreed and is being run as a single multi-stage competition, across the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA) in Australia, the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) in the United Kingdom and the Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) in the United States.
AUKUS partners are seeking to research and develop innovations to enable the synchronisation and teaming of multiple undersea systems.
In short:
• DASA has launched a new AUKUS Competition: Maritime Innovation Challenge 2025.
• This is the second iteration of AUKUS Pillar 2’s Innovation Challenge Series which will run concurrently in Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
• The UK competition run by DASA is open to all nations, although entrants from Australia or the United States can refer to their national competition page if they prefer.
• Up to $8m USD in funding is available.
Learn more and submit a proposal
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) has published updated guidance for its Open Call for Innovation service.
The refreshed guidance includes updates to the submission cycles for 2025-26, as well as other updates to information and pre-sift requirements contained within. These updates aim to streamline the application process and provide clearer parameters for innovators.
The new guidance will take effect from 1200hrs 25 February 2025 (GMT). All submissions from this date will need to align with the updated requirements.
We encourage potential applicants to:
• Review the new guidance before submitting proposals
• Check the submission deadlines for 2025-26
• Contact the DASA team with any questions via accelerator@dstl.gov.uk
For full details of the updated guidance, visit DASA Open Call for Innovation and select the link for the current open cycle.
The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is pleased to launch a new Market Exploration around Non-Compressible Haemorrhage (NCH).
Run on behalf of Research and Clinical Innovation (RCI) Research, Surgeon General’s Department, this Market Exploration is seeking to identify existing technologies and to understand who is doing work in this area and to uncover novel solutions for treating NCH at a combat casualty scene.
NCH refers to bleeding from anatomical structures that cannot be controlled, or only partially controlled, with application of external pressure, undertaken through an overlying tourniquet or direct manual pressure. Such bleeding is the chief cause of otherwise preventable battlefield death. NCH is highly lethal with a mortality rate of 85%.
If you work in this area or have an innovation that you think could be relevant to this area of research, please read the full Market Exploration document and submit a proposal!
The deadline for submissions is midday 12:00 (BST) on 15 April 2025.
In short:
• DASA has launched a new Market Exploration: Non-Compressible Haemorrhage – Novel Technologies
• Submissions close at midday on Tuesday 15 April 2025 (BST)