About us
NSTIx enables the UK government national security community to collaborate on science, technology and innovation activities and to deliver these in partnership with a more diverse set of contributors for greater shared impact and pace.
The National Security Technology and Innovation Exchange (NSTIx) is an independent unit working within the UK government national security science, technology and innovation (ST&I) system.
Within this government system, NSTIx is an enabler for innovation, collaboration and co-creation to help address common challenges.
- Innovate: NSTIx focuses on cross-cutting national security mission challenges and enables a collective effort to pilot and share novel approaches to solving them through ST&I.
- Collaborate: NSTIx makes it easier for government organisations to work together and with others across the government system.
- Co-Create: NSTIx, through its Co-Creation Network, drives the co-creation of national security ST&I with industry and academia - we do this by developing and sharing best practice to bring together multidisciplinary groups of problem solvers from diverse communities that may not come together on their own
NSTIx achieves this by delivering services that equip government with the insights, connections, system solutions, opportunities and processes they need to achieve mission advantage.
NSTIx’s services
NSTIx delivers 5 core services to enable the government system and ensure it stays stronger than the sum of its individual parts:
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Provide cross-government ST&I insights: Curate and communicate insights across and outside government to inform other’s decision making, prioritisation and delivery.
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Connect the government ecosystem: Support teams to better use limited expertise, resources and facilities more coherently and effectively to increase diversity of thought and avoid accidental gaps and unknown duplication.
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Tackle barriers and drive for change: Provide a coherent voice to amplify shared opportunities and pilot new ways of working to continually improve broader ST&I outcomes.
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Enhance exploitation opportunities: Help government national security ST&I teams to get the most out of what has already been done across the system both to enhance pull through and to maximise investment.
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Champion Co-Creation: Lead a network of individual government-led co-creation spaces designed to enhance delivery with industry, academia and wider government stakeholders.
Why NSTIx exists
NSTIx was a key recommendation from the UK government’s Integrated Review (IR) of UK Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy (2021) and has continued to develop since. It recognised that there is real potential for government to better harmonise ST&I activities and deliver in partnership with a more diverse set of contributors for greater shared impact and pace, to keep ahead of our adversaries.