Notice

Competition document: Biosensing across wide areas

Updated 29 May 2020

1. Introduction

This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition is seeking proposals for innovative technologies that provide an improved way to rapidly detect and locate hazardous biological agents in the field for the benefit of defence and security operations.

Please note this is a Phase 2 competition of a multi-phase theme. It is not compulsory to have been involved in Phase 1 to apply. You should however make yourself aware of the previous competition and the proposals we funded.

Proposals will need to deliver a higher level of maturity than achieved in Phase 1. We expect the starting Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the innovation to be TRL 3. By the end of the project, we expect the innovation to be sufficiently developed to achieve approximately TRL 4 – 5.

£700k is available to fund Phase 2, which closes for submissions on Monday 15 June 2020 at midday BST.

2. Competition Scope

2.1 Background

Current methods to detect, locate and report hazardous biological materials (derived from specific threat agents) incur operative, logistic and temporal burdens when various factors (including sampling, transfer of the sample to a laboratory infrastructure or biodetection platform, sample processing, analysis) are taken into consideration. Additionally, many biodetection systems are large and require mains power, regular maintenance and a constant supply of consumables (for example, reagents) to operate. These systems are typically complex to use and are only operable by skilled end users. The time taken to analyse samples by such methods can reduce operational tempo.

This competition aims to develop innovative biodetection sensor technologies that will ultimately lead to a fieldable system to provide rapid, high-confidence detection, location and identification of hazardous biological material deposited over a wide area. The final system will reduce the burdens identified above and will not require the operative to come into contact with the hazard (for example, the technology will be operable in a stand-off or remote configuration).

2.2 Scope

DASA is looking for innovative technologies that can sense, locate and report the presence of deposited biological hazards in real-time or which can demonstrate a clear and achievable pathway to this goal. The focus of the this Phase 2 competition continues to be on sensors and data processing/visualisation, not on hosting platforms (such as remotely controlled or unmanned systems) or the integration of existing sensors upon platforms. Technologies that can detect the hazard at a lower confidence level (such as by, for example, location of potential biological hazards) and then cue deployment of a high-confidence sensor (such as for identification, where a sensor can determine the identity of a biological hazard by name, such as bacterial species level) will also be considered.

By the end of Phase 2, we will require suppliers to provide initial validation of their technology in a laboratory environment (TRL 4) and/or a relevant environment (TRL 5) against the challenges listed below. To aid performance assessment, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) intends to provide a standard set of test samples for use during the project, and to demonstrate the performance of the chosen technologies during demonstration events hosted by the chosen suppliers at the end of the phase.

Phase 2 will develop technologies towards the ultimate aim, which is to achieve a sensor (or combination of sensors) integrated into a fieldable system, utilised by a range of users including trained military specialists and civilian first responders, that is able to detect and report a range of biological agents in real-time. This system will enable hazards to be assessed, avoided and also delineate where decontamination procedures need to be conducted. Additional funding may be available for future phases to further develop technologies to higher TRL and towards this ultimate aim.

3. Competition Challenges

Successful biological detection technologies require the consideration, and ultimately the optimisation, of a range of parameters. The real-world deployment of these sensors into complex and differing environments further complicates this endeavour. The technical challenges for this call are listed below and it is expected that proposals will address both of the core challenges (1 and 2) and one of the optional challenges (3 or 4). Some of these parameters may compete (such as speed of response versus limit of detection) and we are interested in understanding any trade-off between such parameters during the development of each proposed technology.

Proposals should also consider how the technology will address the following two cross-cutting attributes that have implications for exploitation:

• low false alarm rate in a range of environments (for example, the system does not alarm to natural background microbiomes)

• minimised user burden, for example, the size, weight and power draw of the technology should be scalable to permit platform-mounted use and transportability

3.1 Challenge 1 (mandatory)

Sensing of target vegetative cell and sporulating bacterial species on a range of surfaces and with a range of interferents. Surfaces include porous and non-porous materials that are found in indoor and outdoor environments e.g. steel, glass, plastic, wood, concrete and floor/wall tiles. Interferents include non-pathogenic biological material e.g. pollen, dust and natural background microbial communities.

3.2 Challenge 2 (mandatory)

Real-time sensing of target vegetative cell and sporulating bacterial species deposited over a wide area to permit surface scanning rates of 0.5 – 15 m²/min. Note that this rate should include the time it takes for the sensor to acquire data, process data and display/report a result.

3.3 Challenge 3 (optional)

Sensing of target vegetative cell and bacterial spore aggregates (of size ca. 10 – 100 µm) at distances of 1 – 10 m between the sensor and the spores.

3.4 Challenge 4 (optional)

Sensor weight less than 10 kg and sensor able to be remotely and/or autonomously controlled for subsequent integration with remotely controlled or unmanned platforms.

3.5 Clarification of what we want

We are looking for high-risk, high-potential-benefit research proposals that will demonstrate or de-risk the exploitation of technologies. This includes concepts or practical demonstrations (of key components or sub-systems as well as complete detection systems), supported by scientific understanding and analysis. Proposals will:

• address both of the core challenges (1 and 2) and one of the optional challenges (3 or 4)

• focus on the development of the sensing technology or technologies

• enable avoidance of the deposited biological hazard (for example, through stand-off or remote detection concepts)

• detail how the proposed technology (or technologies) could be developed into a platform-mounted or transportable format in future (if these aspirations are not met within Phase 2)

• be innovative and disruptive (for example, enable completely new concepts for the detection of biological hazards deposited upon surfaces)

• demonstrate initial validation of the chosen technology in a laboratory (TRL 4) and/or a relevant environment (TRL 5) by the end of Phase 2

Your proposal must demonstrate how the technology will deliver significant change in capability over that offered by current state-of-the-art biodetection technologies (such as those where samples are taken and subsequently removed to either a portable or remote identification platform).

Your proposal will also cover how the product could be matured for use in an operational environment in future, as well as how it could be integrated with potential defence and security end user existing equipment, and how you plan to demonstrate its value by means of a business or economic case. Your proposal should consider potential collaboration and engagement where possible.

3.6 Clarification of what we don’t want

For this competition we are not interested in proposals that:

• constitute consultancy, paper-based studies or literature reviews which just summarise the existing literature without any view of future innovation

• are an identical resubmission of a previous bid to DASA or MOD without modification

• offer demonstrations of off-the-shelf products requiring no or minor experimental development (unless applied in a novel way to the challenge)

• offer no real long-term prospect of integration into defence and security capabilities

• offer no real prospect of out-competing existing technological solutions

• proposals that cannot demonstrate feasibility within the Phase 2 timescale

• proposals that focus on platforms rather than sensors and data processing/visualisation

• technologies that require constant re-supply of consumables (such as reagents)

4. Exploitation

It is important that over the lifetime of DASA competitions, ideas are matured and accelerated towards appropriate end-users to enhance capability. How long this takes will be dependent on the nature and starting point of the innovation. Early identification and appropriate engagement with potential end-users during the competition is essential in order to develop and implement an exploitation plan.

All proposals to DASA should articulate the expected development in technology maturity of the potential solution over the lifetime of the contract and how this relates to improved operational capability against the current known (or presumed) baseline. Your deliverables should be designed to evidence these aspects with the aim of making it as easy as possible for potential collaborators/stakeholders to identify the innovative elements of your proposal in order to consider routes for exploitation. DASA Innovation Partners are available to support you with defence and security context.

You may wish to include some of the following information, where known, to help the assessors understand your exploitation plans:

• the intended defence or security users of your final product and whether you have previously engaged with them, their procurement arm or their research and development arm

• awareness of, and alignment to, any existing end-user procurement programmes

• the anticipated benefits (for example, in cost, time, improved capability) that your solution will provide to the user

• whether it is likely to be a standalone product or integrated with other technologies or platforms

• expected additional work required beyond the end of the contract to develop an operationally deployable commercial product (for example, ‘scaling up’ for manufacture, cyber security, integration with existing technologies, environmental operating conditions)

• additional future applications and markets for exploitation

• wider collaborations and networks you have already developed or any additional relationships you see as a requirement to support exploitation

• how your product could be tested in a representative environment in later phases

• any specific legal, commercial or regulatory considerations for exploitation

5. How to apply

Proposals for funding to meet these challenges must be submitted by Monday 15 June 2020 at midday BST via the DASA submission service for which you will be required to register.

The funding available for Phase 2 of this competition is £700k and is expected to fund 2 to 3 proposals. Individual proposals cannot exceed £350k (ex. VAT) but we welcome bids lower than this amount. If successful, Phase 2 contracts will be awarded for a maximum duration of 12 months. Due to breadth of the technical challenges in this competition, proposals from consortia (with subcontractor(s) delivering to a prime contractor) will be considered.

Additional funding for subsequent phases to increase TRL further towards exploitation may be available. Any further phases will be open to applications from all suppliers and not just those that submitted Phase 1 or Phase 2 successful bids.

Further guidance on submitting a proposal is available on the DASA website.

5.1 What your proposal must include

The proposal must focus on the challenges outlined above but must also include a brief outline of the next stages of work required for exploitation. It will also detail how you intend to demonstrate the functionality and capability of your development, including any materials you plan to use to represent the threat materials. Note that the use of simulant biological materials is encouraged to enable sensor performance assessments. Dstl appointed Technical Partners will advise on the selection and procurement of appropriate simulants. Test samples (surfaces with deposited bacterial species) will be provided by Dstl as both stated and blinded samples; these count as Government Furnished Assets (GFA).

When submitting a proposal, you must complete all sections of the online form, including an appropriate level of technical information to allow assessment of the bid and a completed finances section. Completed proposals must comply with the financial rules set for this competition. The upper-limit for this competition is £350k (ex VAT) per proposal. Proposals will be rejected if the financial cost exceeds this capped level. It is also helpful to include a list of other current or recent government funding you may have received in this area if appropriate, including Phase 1 work, making it clear how this proposal differs from this work.

A project plan with clear milestones and deliverables must be provided. Deliverables must be well defined and designed to provide evidence of progress against the project plan and the end-point for this phase; they must include a final report and at least one milestone for delivery by 31 March 2021. The final report should include (as a minimum) the technical progress made during the contract, the results acquired with the supplied test samples, conclusions, and recommendation for further work. In addition, the raw data set resulting from any testing must be provided in its entirety. Your proposal must demonstrate how you will complete all activities/services and provide all deliverables within the competition timescales (12 months). Proposals with any deliverables (including final report) outside the competition timeline will be rejected as non-compliant.

A resourcing plan must also be provided that identifies, where possible, the nationalities of those proposed Research Workers that you intend to work on this phase. In the event of proposals being recommended for funding, DASA reserves the right to undertake due diligence checks including the clearance of proposed Research Workers. Please note that this process will take as long as necessary and could take up to 6 weeks in some cases for non-UK nationals.

You must identify any ethical / legal / regulatory factors within your proposal and how the associated risks will be managed, including break points in the project if approvals are not received. MODREC approvals can take up to 5 months therefore you should plan your work programme accordingly. Further details are available in the DASA guidance. If you are unsure if your proposal will need to apply for MODREC approval, then please contact DASA for further guidance.

Requirements for access to GFA, for example, information, equipment, materials and facilities, should be included in your proposal. DASA cannot guarantee that GFA will be available, other than the test samples described above.

Proposals must include costed participation at the following DASA meetings and events:

• at the start of Phase 2, suppliers will be expected to attend a kick off meeting followed by regular meetings with the appointed Technical Partner

• at the end of Phase 2, suppliers will be expected to host a demonstration of their system in a laboratory environment (TRL 4) and/or relevant environment (TRL 5) to an audience of the assigned Technical Partners and potentially any relevant stakeholders

• suppliers will also be required to attend a stakeholder presentation day where they will be required to provide an overview of their project, what they have achieved, future development direction and potential exploitation pathways. This will be held in the UK and is currently scheduled for autumn 2021

Failure to provide any of the above listed will automatically render your proposal non-compliant.

5.2 Public facing information

When submitting your proposal, you will be required to include a proposal title and a short abstract. The title and abstract you provide will be used by DASA, and other government departments, to describe the project and its intended outcomes and benefits. It will be used for inclusion at DASA events in relation to this competition and included in documentation such as brochures. The proposal title will also be published in the DASA transparency data on GOV.UK, along with your company name, the amount of funding, and the start and end dates of your contract.

5.3 How your proposal will be assessed

At Stage 1, all proposals will be checked for compliance with the competition document and may be rejected before full assessment if they do not comply. Only those proposals who demonstrate their compliance against the competition scope and DASA mandatory criteria will be taken forward to full assessment. Failure to achieve full compliance against Stage 1 will render your proposal non-compliant and will not be considered any further:

The proposal outlines how it meets the scope of the competition, including addressing both core challenges and one of the two optional challenges	Within scope (Pass) / Out of scope (Fail)
The proposal fully explains in all three sections of the DASA submission service how it meets the DASA criteria	Pass / Fail
The proposal clearly details a financial plan, a project plan and a resourcing plan to complete the work proposed in Phase 2	Pass / Fail
The proposal identifies the need (or not) for MODREC approval	Pass / Fail
The proposal identifies any GFA required for Phase 2	Pass / Fail
Maximum value of the proposal is £350k	Pass / Fail
The proposal demonstrates how all research and development activities/services (including delivery of the final report) will be completed within 12 months from award of contract (or less)	Pass / Fail
The proposal includes at least one milestone for delivery by 31 March 2021	Pass / Fail
The proposal includes costed participation at the kick-off, the demonstration and stakeholder presentation events (to be held in autumn 2021)	Pass / Fail
The bidder provides unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions of the Contract.	Pass / Fail

Proposals that pass Stage 1 will then be assessed against the standard DASA assessment criteria (Desirability, Feasibility, Viability) by subject matter experts from the MOD (including Dstl), other government departments and front-line military commands. For this call we also intend to utilise expertise from the US Department of Defense to support proposal assessment under existing inter-governmental memoranda of understanding. You will not have the opportunity to comment on assessor’s comments.

DASA reserves the right to disclose on a confidential basis any information it receives from you during the procurement process to any third party engaged by DASA for the specific purpose of evaluating or assisting DASA in the evaluation of your proposal. For the specific purposes of considering additional funding for a competition and onward exploitation opportunities, DASA also reserves the right to share information in your proposal in-confidence with any UK Government Department. In providing such information you consent to such disclosure. Appropriate confidentiality agreements will be put in place.

Further guidance on how your proposal is assessed is available on the DASA website.

After assessment, proposals will be discussed internally at a Decision Conference where, based on the assessments, budget and wider strategic considerations, a decision will be made on the proposals that are recommended for funding.

Proposals that are unsuccessful will receive brief feedback after the Decision Conference.

5.4 Things you should know about DASA contracts

Please read the DASA terms and conditions which contain important information for suppliers. For this competition we will be using the Innovation Standardised Contracting (ISC) Contract Model, links to the contract here: Terms and Schedules. We will require unqualified acceptance of the terms and conditions. For the avoidance of any doubt, for this Themed Competition we are NOT using the DASA Short Form Contract (SFC).

Funded projects will be allocated a Project Manager (to run the project) and a Technical Partner (as a technical point of contact). In addition, the DASA team will work with you to support delivery and exploitation. We will use deliverables from DASA contracts in accordance with our rights detailed in the contract terms and conditions.

For this phase/competition, £700k is currently available to fund proposals. There may be occasions where additional funding from other funding lines may subsequently become available to allow us to revisit those proposals deemed suitable for funding but where limitations on funding at the time prevented DASA from awarding a subsequent Contract. In such situations, DASA reserves the right to keep such proposals in reserve. In the event that additional funding subsequently becomes available, DASA may ask whether you would still be prepared to undertake the work outlined in your proposal under the same terms.

6. Phase 2 dates

Dial-in	Tuesday 21 April 2020
Pre-bookable 1-1 telecom sessions	Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 April 2020
Competition closes	Monday 15 June 2020 at midday BST
Contracting	Aim to start Thursday 1 October 2020 and end 12 months later

6.1 Supporting events

• Tuesday 21 April – a dial-in session providing further detail on the problem space and a chance to ask questions in an open forum. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page

• Tuesday 21 and Wednesday 22 April 2020 – a series of 20 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions. If you would like to participate, please register on the Eventbrite page: Tuesday 21 April or Wednesday 22 April

7. Help

Competition queries including on process, application, technical, commercial and intellectual property aspects should be sent to accelerator@dstl.gov.uk, quoting the competition title.

While all reasonable efforts will be made to answer queries, DASA reserves the right to impose management controls if volumes of queries restrict fair access of information to all potential suppliers.