SPACE RESEARCH: UK and US military launch £800,000 International Space Pitch Day - Report

SPACE RESEARCH: UK and US military launch £800,000 International Space Pitch Day - Report
Published By: PRChannel Team - GEOPoliticalMatters.com
European Press Centre Málaga
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Statement Released By: Ministry of Defence, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory,
Defence and Security Accelerator, and Jeremy Quin MP

Start-up tech companies and inventors will get the chance to pitch directly to UK and US military
leaders for the $1-million investment to fast-track their ideas for cutting-edge Space innovations.
International Space Pitch Day was launched today by UK Director Space Air Vice-Marshal Harv Smyth.

International Space Pitch Day is a joint UK-US initiative that aims to find, fund and fast-track
innovation and technology that gives advantage to military personnel and operations in the space
domain.

The competition is open to innovators and entrepreneurs from all over the world delivered through
the UK Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), assisted by Starburst Accelerator.

The endeavour is jointly funded by the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Royal
Air Force and the US Air Force.

It is specifically designed to bolster tech start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and harness the power of their ingenuity and innovation.

The competition will see organisations receive specialist mentoring and training in the hope of securing a coveted place at the first International Space Pitch Day in front of senior UK, US and NATO military leaders at the Defence Space Conference in London in November 2020.

Those organisations who make it through to the International Space Pitch Day will be in contention to secure a $66,000 (£53,000) contract from the judging panel to speed up their innovations and technology.

The format will be the first of its kind in an international collaboration between two international allies.

UK Defence Minister Jeremy Quin said: "Opportunities like International Space Pitch Day demonstrate our determination to modernise the way we work,whilst providing our brilliant innovators with the investment and support they need" "This collaborative event will allow us to identify and accelerate the newest technologies, and remain competitive against our adversaries.

A grand coalition of Dstl, DASA, Royal Air Force, UK Strategic Command, the US Air Force, US Space Force, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has been assembled to find, fund, and fast-track the best ideas from start-up innovators to the front line.

Starburst Aerospace will act as an industry partner to the International Space Pitch Day and carry out specialist training and mentoring on its behalf through an Allied Defence Accelerator.

Full details, scope and requirements of International Space Pitch Day and the Allied Defence Accelerator can be found here.

A Virtual Learning Environment for International Space Pitch Day and the Allied Defence Accelerator has also today gone live.

Compulsory registration questions for the International Space Pitch Day and the Allied Defence Accelerator must be submitted by midday BST on Wednesday, 19 August 2020 and International Space Pitch Day 2020 proposals must be submitted by 12pm BST on Wednesday 2 September 2020.


https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-and-us-militaries-launch-800k-international-space-pitch-day