Competition Document: Innovations in dermal protection against liquid chemicals

Question 1

1. Introduction

Accepted Answer

This Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition is run on behalf of the UK government but there is significant potential for solutions developed to be exploited internationally. It is seeking proposals that will address the challenge of developing a fabric which provides dermal protection against liquid chemical warfare agents and other low surface tension liquids. We are interested in treatments, fabric design, novel constructions or any other approach that prevents the penetration of low surface tension liquids.

Any options proposed must not use chemistries which are currently the subject of restriction proposals under The Regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH) or any other governing body (e.g. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Stockholm Convention).

The overall objective of this competition is to develop fabrics that can be used to manufacture protective suits that meet the essential criteria against liquid and vapour given in “NATO Standard AEP-72 Volume I - Recommended chemical, biological and TIC challenge levels” (NATO AEP-72)^{[footnote 1]}. Additionally, products should meet the robustness testing detailed in “BS 8467:2006 - Protective clothing. Personal protective ensembles for use against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) agents” (BS8467).

We appreciate that there will be research in this area at different stages of development and we wish to efficiently explore all possible options. There are therefore 2 separate challenges in this competition.

Challenge 1 is for innovators that have a technical solution which can be developed to demonstrate basic liquid protection properties (see Dstl Liquid penetration under pressure test method (Dstl Test Method)) with potential to be progressed further towards the specific chemical warfare protection requirements, specified in Challenge 2. Proposals should include all costs to demonstrate basic liquid protection properties can be met.

Challenge 2 is for innovators who have a technical solution which can be shown to pass the Challenge 1 test criteria (full report of testing to be supplied within the proposal) and has potential to be developed further such that it passes the essential chemical agent challenge as detailed in NATO AEP-72 and relevant robustness tests, detailed in BS8467. Proposals should include all costs to demonstrate these criteria can be met.

The manufacture of suits falls outside the scope of this phase of the competition.

This competition is funded by the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office with the potential for possible additional support to be provided from international partners from the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Question 2

2. Competition key information

Accepted Answer

Key Information	Competition Details
Submission deadline	12:00 Midday on 15 April 2025 (BST)
Total funding available	£2.6 million (excluding VAT). We anticipate to fund up to 10 proposals for each challenge. We are expecting proposals to cost no more than £100,000 for Challenge 1 and £200,000 for Challenge 2, but we reserve the right to fund proposals higher than these amounts.
Technology Readiness Level (TRL)	Challenge 1 ending at TRL 3 Challenge 2 starting at TRL3 and ending at least TRL 5
Contract start month	Aim to start August 2025
Project duration	Challenge 1 equal to or less than 8 months initial work with possibility of 8 month extension Challenge 2 equal to or less than 8 months
Cyber Risk Assessment (CRA) number and risk level	RAR-241120B03, Very Low Risk
Feedback release date	6 June 2025
Pre-sift criteria	See Section 6 Pre-sift

2.1 Competition Specific Requirements

Please note that this competition has specific deliverables as part of its pre-sift criteria.

For bids into Challenge 2 you must already have a technical solution which can be shown to pass the Challenge 1 criteria (evidence to be supplied within the proposal). The proposal should also include information regarding the performance against “BS EN 14419:2010 Textiles — Oil repellency — Hydrocarbon resistance test” and “BS EN 23232:2009 Textiles — Aqueous liquid repellency — Water/alcohol solution resistance test”, to aid our understanding of the proposed concepts.

Bids into Challenge 2 must demonstrate, by passing the Dstl Test Method supplied, that they have the potential to be developed to pass the essential chemical agent challenge as detailed in NATO AEP-72 and relevant robustness tests, detailed below. Full details of the experimental results of the supplied test should be submitted as part of your proposal.

2.2 Where do I submit my proposal?

Via the DASA Online Submission Service where you will need to register for an account. Only proposals submitted through the DASA Online Submission Service will be accepted.

2.3 Public facing information

When submitting your proposal, you will be required to include a title, Proposal Value Proposition Statement (PVPS) and a short abstract. The title, PVPS and abstract you provide will be used by DASA, and Partners Across Government (PAG), to describe your project and its intended outcomes and benefits. They may be included at DASA events in relation to this competition and in documentation such as brochures. As this information can be shared, it should not contain information that may compromise Intellectual Property.

2.4 Further guidance

For further guidance on what to expect during the submission process and how your proposal will be assessed, please see the following GOV.UK pages and forms:

Question 3

3. Supporting activities

Accepted Answer

3.1 Launch webinar

6 March 2025 – Launch webinar 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.

Slides from the launch webinar can be found by following this link.

3.2 One-to-One teleconference sessions

12 March 2025 – A series of 15 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific technical questions to the competition team in a closed forum. Registration for these sessions will be available the day after the launch webinar on 6 March 2025, on the Eventbrite page. Booking will be on a first come first served basis.

Non-technical questions about the competition process should be sent to the DASA Help Centre, accelerator@dstl.gov.uk.

3.3 Collaboration survey

We encourage collaboration between innovators for this competition. To support this, we have a short survey to collect details of those who wish to explore collaboration possibilities. If you are interested, please complete the collaboration survey.

The information (including personal details) you provide will be circulated among the innovators who have completed the survey. The sharing of details will only be done after an initial screening process has taken place, we reserve the right to not share all details.

All collaboration for proposal submissions is on an innovator-innovator basis. It is the innovators’ responsibility to determine the suitability of collaborators.

Inclusion or absence of collaboration will not affect assessment.

3.4 Innovation Outline

If you are uncertain of the relevance of your innovation, it is strongly recommended that you contact your local DASA Innovation Partner to discuss your idea. You can initiate this through the submission of a Contact DASA Form by following instructions on the Contact a DASA Innovation Partner page if you do not already have an established relationship with your local Innovation Partner.

Your local Innovation Partner will initially explore the suitability of your idea within the context of the requirements of the competition. With specific interest in the aspects covered within the Competition Scope section.

Your local Innovation Partner will, if required, also advise you on the submission of an Innovation Outline (IO), primarily used to further explore the relevance of your idea to the competition.

You must submit this IO through the Submission Service regardless of an established relationship with your local Innovation Partner. To submit an IO, log in to the submission service, select the service category DASA Innovation Outline. Then from the service name select Innovation Outline: Innovations in dermal protection against liquid chemicals. Your local Innovation Partner will be able to advise you on the IO content.

Submission of an IO for this competition will allow socialisation of the idea across the competition team, all elements of the IO will be shared. The competition team is made up of DASA, Dstl, MOD and Home Office staff. You should receive a response within two weeks, confirming whether or not your idea is in scope. The competition closes at 12:00 Midday on 15 April 2025 (BST). DASA cannot guarantee a response to an IO received after 1 April 2025.

All information you provide to us as part of your IO, that is not already available to us from other sources, will be handled in confidence. We will only share the information with those who can establish if your innovation is within scope of the competition. The information will only be used for the purposes for which it is provided to us. It won’t be used for other purposes, without us having obtained the necessary rights and permissions to do so.

Submitting an IO or speaking to your local innovation partner is not a mandatory criteria of this competition.

Question 4

4. Competition scope

Accepted Answer

4.1 Background: Why we need Innovation in this area

Traditionally, dermal liquid protection has been provided by an air permeable, two- layer system, comprising an outer fabric, which controls the initial liquid interaction with the surface, and a carbon layer to absorb any vapours which penetrate the outer layer. It is the combination of these two layers which enables the wearer to operate in a CBRN environment without incurring the associated physiological burden of an air impermeable garment.

Changes in legislation (e.g. REACH) over recent years are constraining the methods available to Defence and Security for providing dermal protection against low surface tension liquids (such as chemical warfare agents (CWAs)). Due to these changes we are seeking innovative methods for future dermal protection.

4.2 Scope: The Requirement

The scope of this competition is technologies that provide wearable dermal protection against liquid chemical contamination. There are various means by which this could be achieved, and we are interested in any scientific and technological approaches that have the potential to deliver dermal protection against low surface tension liquids without the use of chemistries which are currently the subject of restriction proposals (e.g. under REACH, ECHA etc.).

We are interested in any approaches that are in scope, examples that we are aware of include:

highly wicking surfaces;
reactive coatings;
novel fabric compositions and fibre structures;
other technical approaches which prevent the liquid contamination causing harm to the wearer’s skin.

Any approach which is able to render the surface both hydrophobic and oleophobic within the constraints stated is also of interest.

It should also be remembered that liquid hazards can also generate vapour hazards and any final product must be able to demonstrate the ability to deal with both hazards. It is acceptable to use a carbon layer, as in the current system, to achieve this. This could be supplied as Government Furnished Assets (GFA), if required. This is only of relevance for testing under Challenge 2.

4.3 Exploitation

Whilst the manufacture of suits falls outside the scope of this competition, there is a need within UK and allied nations to ensure our military and emergency responders are equipped with next generation protective suits that provide protective measures aligned to NATO AEP-72, “BS EN ISO 15025:2016 Protective clothing. Protection against flame” and “BS EN ISO 6530:2005 Protective clothing. Protection against liquid chemicals. Test method for resistance of materials to penetration by liquids”. Without commitment, funded projects that evidence demonstrable potential to support this objective may be supported to mature their innovation towards this objective.

Question 5

5. Competition challenges

Accepted Answer

This competition has two challenges.

5.1 Challenge 1

Challenge 1 is for innovators that have a technical solution that can be developed to demonstrate basic liquid protection properties (see Dstl Test Method) with potential to progress towards specific chemical warfare protection requirements.

Innovators must also provide a report detailing data on liquid behaviour in accordance with “BS EN ISO 14419:2010 Textiles — Oil repellency — Hydrocarbon resistance test” (BS14419) and “BS ISO 23232:2009 Textiles — Aqueous liquid repellency — Water/alcohol solution resistance test” (BS23232), to provide initial understanding of material behaviour for further development considerations. The inclusion of supporting video or photographs would be of interest. Passing these tests (BS14419 and BS23232) is not a requirement to continue for the additional tasking option.

By the end of Challenge 1 innovations must provide pass/fail evidence against the basic liquid penetration test provided. This will form a minimum entry requirement for proposals to continue for the additional tasking activity which has the same objectives as Challenge 2 described later.

If the proposed technical solution is a coating, initial testing must be performed using a plain weave cotton fabric or polyester-cotton fabric (max 65% polyester) with a maximum mass per unit area of 150 gsm.

It is acknowledged that there are different methods of preventing liquid penetration therefore the innovator must supply information regarding the mechanism by which their proposal prevents liquid penetration and provide any other test data that they believe to be relevant to demonstrating the efficacy of their approach for assessment.

Proposals submitted under this challenge should be for research projects lasting no longer than 8 months with a final deliverable of a material that meets the specified criteria. We would require all the information requested above at the end of this phase.

Between months 6 and 8 of the project, innovators will be invited to submit a further proposal detailing activities for extending the project for a further 8 months in order to meet the more demanding specification described in Challenge 2. These proposals will be assessed and the option to progress some, or all, of the bids may be exercised. At this stage no bids from new innovators will be considered.

5.2 Challenge 2

Running concurrently with Challenge 1, Challenge 2 will seek to evaluate technical solutions at higher TRLs (at least TRL5).

Challenge 2 is for innovators who already have a technical solution which can be shown to pass the Challenge 1 criteria (evidence to be supplied within the proposal). The proposal should also include information regarding the performance against BS14419 and BS23232 to aid our understanding of the proposed concepts.

Bids into Challenge 2 must demonstrate, by passing the Dstl Test Method supplied, that they have the potential to be developed to pass the essential chemical agent challenge as detailed in NATO AEP-72 and relevant robustness tests, detailed below.^{[footnote 3]} Full details of the experimental results of the supplied test should be submitted as part of your proposal.

The target for Challenge 2 is to demonstrate that your proposed technical solution can meet the essential criteria against liquid as detailed in NATO AEP-72. In order to demonstrate this, samples must be tested by a quantitative penetration test against both placed and pressure droplets (at 20 kPa) using sulfur mustard (HD), sarin (GB) and soman (GD), with sample points at 2h, 4h, 6h, 8h, 23h, and 24h intervals. VX testing must be carried out at 6h and 24h intervals by the Low Volatility Agent Penetration (LVAP) test method. All testing must be undertaken by a Test House accredited to BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.

The target is that you can demonstrate that your proposed technical solution is able to meet the durability and additional requirements listed below, as described in BS8467 (Section 6).

These include the following tests

Air permeability testing to “BS EN ISO 9237:1995 Textiles — Determination of the permeability of fabrics to air”
Thermal and water-vapour resistance under steady-state conditions to “BS EN ISO 11092:2014 Textiles — Physiological effects — Measurement of thermal and water-vapour resistance under steady-state conditions” (sweating guarded-hotplate test)
Tensile strength as per section 5.4.1 (a) of BS8467:2006
Tear strength as per section 5.4.1 (b) of BS8467:2006
Protection against surface wetting in accordance with section 5.4.1 (c) of BS8467
Durability to abrasion
- “BS EN ISO 12947-1:1998 Textiles. Determination of the abrasion resistance of fabrics by the Martindale method. Martindale abrasion testing apparatus”,
- “BS EN ISO 12947-2:2016 Textiles. Determination of the abrasion resistance of fabrics by the Martindale method. Determination of specimen breakdown”,
- “BS EN ISO 12947-3:1998 Textiles. Determination of the abrasion resistance of fabrics by the Martindale method. Determination of mass loss”, and
- “BS EN ISO 12947-4:1998 Textiles. Determination of the abrasion resistance of fabrics by the Martindale method”. Assessment of appearance change. We require the results of all testing undertaken to be supplied in a final report, not just pass / fail criteria.

Proposals under this challenge should be for research, development and testing activities lasting no longer than 8 months.

As part of any bid into Challenge 2 innovators must cost in testing to determine the quantitative CWA permeation of their candidate materials. These results must be supplied to DASA as part of the reporting milestones of the project to allow suitable review. The bid must also include costings for the mechanical testing against the stated standards. All testing must be undertaken by a Test House accredited to BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.

It is recommended that you make early engagement with appropriate test houses to ascertain timelines and costs for the required testing.

Visual representation of competition timeline. Illustrative only and may be subject to change.

5.3 We are interested in…

We want novel ideas to benefit UK Defence and Security. Your proposal should include evidence of:

innovation or a creative approach
clear demonstration of how the proposed work applies in a defence or security context

In particular, we are interested in

technical solutions that can, or have potential to, mitigate permeation of liquid CWAs and other low surface tension liquids (as low as ca. 20 mN mˉ¹) through (ideally) woven, non-woven or knitted fabrics under applied mechanical pressures of 20 kPa or more.
technical solutions that give consideration to ensuring the thermo-physiological burden of the resulting system is minimised by maximising conductive and evaporative cooling.
novel approaches that can prevent permeation of liquid CWAs through highly air-permeable fabrics
technical solutions which in addition to preventing liquid permeations also have the ability to mitigate the effects of flammable liquids and reduce the potential of ignition

5.4 We are not interested in…

We are not interested in proposals that:

use substances (e.g. fluorinated substances) which are, or have potential to become, environmental pollutants^{[footnote 2]}
require any form of animal testing during development
require ethical (such as MODREC) approval
will clearly have a negative impact on thermo-physiological burden
constitute consultancy, paper-based studies or literature reviews
are an unsolicited resubmission of a previous DASA bid
offer demonstrations of off-the-shelf products requiring no experimental development (unless applied in a novel way to the challenge)
offer no real long-term prospect of integration into defence or security capabilities

Question 6

6. Critical elements to include

Accepted Answer

When writing your proposal, ensure you have comprehensively covered the following elements:

focus on the Competition requirements but also include a brief (un-costed) outline of the next stages of work required for exploitation
include a list of other government funding you have received in this area. Make it clear how this proposal differs from that work
include a detailed project plan with clear milestones and deliverables. Deliverables need to be well defined and designed to provide evidence of progress against the project plan. Your deliverables must include a written final report
planned (and costed) attendance at the following meetings, which will all be in the UK.
- a kick-off meeting at the start of the project
- a mid-project event
- an end of project event at the end of the relevant Challenge
- regular reviews with the appointed Technical Partner and Project Manager
- close down meeting at the end of the project

These activities may take place virtually. Slides and other material presented at these meetings should be appropriately marked and made available.

identify any ethical / legal / regulatory factors. Associated risks should be added to the Risk Register in Step 5 of the submission service along with details of how they will be managed, including break points in the project if approvals are not received
you must include any requirements for access to GFA. DASA cannot guarantee that GFA, except in the case of carbon layers (See Section 4.2), will be available. You need to include an alternative plan in your proposal in case it is not available.

Question 7

7. Accelerating and exploiting your innovation

Accepted Answer

Over the lifetime of DASA competitions, ideas mature and accelerate under the guidance of appropriate end-users toward being a functional capability. How long this takes and how far towards a deployable capability innovations progress will depend on the competition requirement/aim and starting point of the innovation (i.e. the TRL level at the competition start and end point).

Ensure your deliverables are designed with the aim of making it as easy as possible for assessors to recognise expected development in technology maturity of the potential solution over the lifetime of the contract, specifically how this demonstrates improved capability against the current known solutions.

Low TRL research and development may not be able to articulate exploitation in great detail, but it should be clear that there is credible advantage to be gained from the technology development.

During the competition phase all correspondence must be via the DASA Help Centre (accelerator@dstl.gov.uk), or your local Innovation Partner.

7.1 How to outline your exploitation plan

Include the following information to help the assessors understand your exploitation plans to date:

the intended defence or security end-users of your 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 end-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 wider 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, ethical, commercial or regulatory considerations for exploitation

Question 8

8. Pre-sift Criteria

Accepted Answer

Before your proposal is assessed, 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 that demonstrate compliance against the competition scope and DASA pre-sift criteria will be taken forward to full assessment. For more information on how your proposal will be assessed please read Assessment process and criteria.

Innovations in Dermal Protection against liquid chemicals pre-sift criteria are as follows:

Criteria	Measure
The proposal outlines how it meets the scope of the competition	Within scope (Pass) / Out of scope (Fail)
The proposal fully explains how it meets the DASA criteria (Desirability, Feasibility, and Viability) in the relevant questions in Step 3 of the submission service	Pass / Fail
The proposal must contain a financial plan, a project plan and a resourcing plan which demonstrate how the work proposed will be completed	Pass / Fail
For Challenge 2 you have specifically included costing for quantitative CWA permeation and mechanical testing by an accredited Test House (see section 5.2)	Pass / Fail
Your deliverables include a written final report	Pass / Fail
For Challenges 1 and 2 the final deliverable month indicated must be less than or equal to 8 months from T0 where T0 is the Project start date agreed by both parties	Pass / Fail
For Challenge 2 the proposal contains evidence that the qualifying test has been met	Pass / Fail

Question 9

9. How your proposal will be assessed

Accepted Answer

Proposals that are compliant will be assessed against the standard DASA assessment criteria (Desirability, Feasibility and Viability) by subject matter experts from the MOD (including Dstl), the Home Office and the front-line military commands. You will not have the opportunity to view or comment on assessors’ recommendations.

DASA reserves the right to disclose on a confidential basis any information it receives from innovators during the procurement process, which includes the full proposal, to any third party engaged by DASA for the specific purpose of evaluating or assisting DASA in the evaluation of your proposal. In providing such information you consent to such disclosure. Appropriate confidentiality agreements will be put in place.

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.

Innovators are not permitted to attend the decision conference.

Question 10

10. 
DASA Terms and Conditions

Accepted Answer

Please read the DASA Terms and Conditions which contain important information for innovators. For this competition we will be using the Innovation Standard Contract (ISC): Terms and Conditions. Information on the relevant DEFCONs can be found by registering on the Knowledge in Defence site.

We require unqualified acceptance of the Terms and Conditions; if applicable, please ensure your commercial department has provided their acceptance.

We will use deliverables from DASA contracts in accordance with our rights detailed in the contract Terms and Conditions. This includes sharing deliverables with International governments under appropriate Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).

10.1 Feedback

Proposals that are unsuccessful will receive feedback in the form of bullet points and a couple of short paragraphs after the Decision Conference.

Where a proposal meets the fundable requirements for a competition, but is not funded, DASA will continue to seek funding from partners across government and shall consider your proposal fundable for 12 months from the date of the decision release.

We will share the abstract, PVPS and title of your proposal with any other UK government departments that may express an interest in funding the proposal through DASA, in accordance with the competition document. If a budget holder within the MOD wishes to read the full proposal to decide if they will fund it, we will share it with them under these circumstances. If it is within 60 days of the original NOT FUNDED decision release date, we will share the full proposal with them without seeking your permission. If it is over 60 days since the original NOT FUNDED decision we will seek your permission before sharing the full proposal with them.

For other potential funders, we will seek your permission before sharing the full proposal regardless of the number of days since the original NOT FUNDED decision release.

In the event that funding becomes available, DASA may ask whether you would still be prepared to undertake the work outlined in your proposal under the same terms. Your official DASA feedback will indicate if your proposal was deemed fundable, but not awarded funding at the time.

Question 11

11. If your proposal is recommended for funding

Accepted Answer

Funded projects will be allocated a Project Manager (to monitor the project) and a Technical Partner (as a technical point of contact). In addition, the DASA team may work with an innovator to support delivery and exploitation including, when appropriate, introductions to end-users and business support to help develop their business.

11.1 Cyber Risk Assessment (CRA)

On receipt of a FUND decision, successful innovators must prove cyber resilience before the contract is awarded. The start of this process is the submission of a Supplier Assurance Questionnaire (SAQ). The SAQ allows innovators to demonstrate compliance with the specified risk level and the corresponding profile in Def Stan 05-138, and the level of control required will depend on this risk level.

To expedite the contracting time of successful innovators we ask all innovators to complete the SAQ before they submit their proposal (this is not mandated). The SAQ must be completed using the DASA Risk Assessment number RAR-241120B03, answer questions for risk level “Very Low”. In the SAQ form, for the contract name please use the competition title and for the contract description please use the title of your proposal.

The Defence Cyber Protection Partnership (DCPP) will review your SAQ submission and aim to respond within 2-5 working days with a reference number and an indication of your compliance status. They welcome emails if you think a response has not been provided in this time. There are 2 compliance statuses:

The email response from DCPP should be uploaded (JPG or PNG format) as part of your proposal before submission. You will also be asked to enter your SAQ reference number. Please allow enough time to receive the SAQ reference number prior to competition close at 12:00 Midday on 15 April 2025 (BST).

11.2 Export control for overseas partners

All relevant export control regulations will apply if a company ultimately wants to sell a developed solution to a foreign entity. All innovators must ensure that they can obtain, if required, the necessary export licences for their proposals and developments, such that they can be supplied to the UK and other countries. If you cannot confirm that you can gain the requisite licences, your proposal will be sifted out of the competition.

Additionally, if we believe that you will not be able to obtain export clearance, additional checks may be conducted, which may also result in your proposal being sifted out of the competition.

Question 12

12. Points of Contact

Accepted Answer

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 innovators.

12.1 Innovation Partner

DASA has a team of Innovation Partners that can provide you with support throughout the application process. They are the initial point of contact between you and DASAs competitions. If you are interested in working with DASA, speak to your local DASA Innovation Partner.

12.2 DASA Help Centre

Competition queries including on process, application, commercial, technical and intellectual property aspects should be sent to the DASA Help Centre at accelerator@dstl.gov.uk, quoting the competition title. DASA cannot guarantee a response to a query after 25 March 2025, 3 weeks before the competitions closes.

Question 13

13. Clarifications

Accepted Answer

13.1 Challenge 1

Q: Is there a list of Test Houses for Challenge 1 liquid penetration?

A: No, Challenge 1 testing should be something that can be carried out easily by any innovator who wants to put in a bid. The test has been designed for this competition to understand the efficacy of technical solutions bid into Challenge 1 and is not a recognised test standard.

Q: For Challenge 1 is only a penetration test required? You don’t want tear or rub test?

A: Correct, the tear and rub tests come in Challenge 2.

Q: The diagram included in the Dstl Test Method indicates a coloured probe liquid being used to illustrate the efficacy of the technical solution against liquid penetration. Should we dye the liquids we are using when performing the Challenge 1 test?

A: The use of colour in the Dstl Test Method diagram was used to highlight the presence of the probe liquid, and not to suggest that dyeing the liquid was a requirement of the test. It is more important that you can show if any liquid has penetrated through to the filter paper. If wetting is observed on the filter paper, then the fabric has failed the test.

Q: Regarding Challenge 1, it appears like theoretical proposals will not fit (for e.g. modelling work involving sessile drops on surfaces with some properties)?

A: We don’t want theoretical studies; we want technical solutions. If you are working with someone who can make your theoretical solution into a technical solution and test it, that is fine. Working in collaboration with other organisations is not a problem but you must be clear who the lead organisation is when submitting your proposal.

Q: For Challenge 1, do you want the material to be an outer layer (PFAS layer replacement) or could it be an interior layer?

A: Either. We are completely open to any ideas, so feel free to bid in anything which seems a feasible technical solution.

Q: Is there a priority listing for repellency of liquids in Challenge 1? Are any more important than others?

A: We specify 4 liquids in the ‘Dstl Liquid penetration under pressure test’ (Section 5.1 – Challenge 1) to cover a range of surface tensions. You will need to be able to demonstrate basic liquid protection properties against those liquids, with no order of priority.

13.2 Challenge 2

Q: For Challenge 2, do you have a requirement for who should do the CWA testing or would any facility with the correct licenses be ok? (UK or foreign entities?)

A: There are no restrictions as long as your chosen Test House can demonstrate they meet the requirements as laid out in the Competition Document:

‘All testing must be undertaken by a Test House accredited to BS EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017 General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories.’

Q: Challenge 2 testing is probably expensive. Does the bidder have to integrate this cost into their bid?

A: For Challenge 2 you must specifically include costing for quantitative CWA permeation and mechanical testing by an accredited Test House. If it is not built in to your proposal, then your bid will not get through to the assessment stage. If you are accredited and undertake the testing yourself, please ensure that the costs of this are also specifically identified in your delivery schedule.

Q: Can you highlight any recommended Test Houses?

A: We can’t recommend Test Houses and we are unable to act as a broker for those services. However, there may be Test Houses which sign up to the competitions Collaboration Survey, from where you can make contact.

Q: The Competition Document states that a carbon layer will be provided as Government Furnished Assets (GFA) - how much will be made available?

A: This is only of relevance for testing under Challenge 2. We ask innovators to specify in their proposal how much will be needed for their work, so we can plan to meet the demand. We are unable to guarantee the provision of a carbon layer as GFA, so mitigations must be written into your proposal for if it is unavailable.

Q: What do you mean by thermal-physiological barrier - something to do with conductivity and evaporation?

A: This is in reference to the physiological burden of wearing a suit system, and the efficacy of the system in allowing the wearer to cool down through evaporation, and from air getting through.

Q: How important is it to be able to pass the air permeability test for Challenge 2, if our technical solution manages the physiological burden through different means?

A: The final report for Challenge 2 requests that the results of an air permeability test be reported. We recognise that if the material is air impermeable then it will not pass this test and the result should be reported as a failure. This would be the expected outcome for any air impermeable solution proposed and will be considered when looking at the results of all challenge 2 technical solutions.

Q: Challenge 2 highlights NATO AEP-72 test. Is this test analogous to an AVLAG / LVAP test? I know these are common tests used in the US to evaluate efficacy.

A: Yes, there is similarity between different tests. We would like all bids to perform the same test for consistency. Please reference in your proposal if and why you intend using other standards.

Q: Are there any requirements on the maximum weight of the final system for Challenge 2? I assume you don’t want the weight of the swatch to be heavier than the correct system/swatch.

A: Ideally the weight of the final fabric would be as light as possible whilst still meeting our performance requirements. There is no pass/fail criteria on the weight of a proposed solution as this will to some extent be effected by the type of solution proposed.

13.3 Both Challenges

Q: If we are looking at surface treatments, can you expand on what fibres/textile materials would be of interest?

A: We suggest fabric weight and composition for Challenge 1 in Section 5.1 of the Competition Document. For Challenge 2 any fibres or fibre structures are of interest, we’re not ruling anything out.

Q: If I understand this correctly, surfaces with repelling properties will not be eligible? Will surfaces with special mechanical properties be eligible?

A: If you can repel liquid then your proposal would be in scope. The competition seeks technical solutions for the prevention of liquids being pushed through, how that is achieved up to you.

Q: The Competition Document states the coating should be assessed against a plain weave; in this call it’s been suggested other weaving can be done. Clarify?

A: If your technical solution is a textile coating put it on plain weave for initial testing, but if you’re combining a novel fabric and a coating don’t feel bound by the plain weave. If you only have the coating then use the plain weave, but if your fabric is doing the protecting then please state that in your application.

Q: Are there any other desired features of the material, for example rain/weather repellency?

A: Water repellency is of interest, but only if the technical solution can still provide the protection against low level surface tension liquids.

Q: Are there limitations to the fabrics/textiles that can be used? E.g. woven, knitted, nonwoven?

A: No, anything is of interest.

Q: Fabric “breathability” is a nightmare of different units. Do you have a conversion utility so we can tell if a fabric from one domain meets your requirements?

A: For ease of comparison, we would prefer these numbers to be given in cm³/cm²/s. The pressure drop across which the measurement is made is also required. This will allow us to convert and compare values.

Q: Are there chemicals or surface treatments DASA would like to avoid besides PFAS?

A: We have asked that proposals do not include the use of any chemicals or surface treatments which may likely become subject to restrictions in the future.

If your proposed technical solution uses such chemicals/surface treatments, then you should justify in the proposal your reasoning as to why they will not be subject to restriction in the future.

Information regarding future possible restrictions can be found on the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) website. The link https://echa.europa.eu/information-on-chemicals has information regarding current materials under consideration and possible restrictions. If your proposed technical solution contains material listed here, then you must justify its use in your proposal and demonstrate it is not the subject of a restriction for the proposed use.

Q: Reactive technologies may not prevent penetration of the liquids on your Challenge 1 list but will prevent penetration of CWAs, are these of interest?

A: Yes, do bid them in as there may be development work that can improve their performance against liquid penetration. Your proposal should outline work you will undertake to prevent liquid penetration.

Q: To clarify, not all substances that contain fluorine are PFAS. Is fluorine completely banned as a component atom? Section 5.4 and footnote 2 contradicts this.

A: We do not wish to have any solution which includes a carbon atom bonded to a fluorine atom, even though a single C-F group would not fall under the definition of PFAS we supplied in the document. We recognise that ionic fluorine would not be classed as PFAS and therefore are prepared to consider for use in a technical solution.

Q: Can you use a multiple layer solution to achieve the protection targets? Analogous to the incumbent solution you discussed.

A: Absolutely, any ideas which are technically feasible would be of interest.

Q: Is dermal bio agent protection of interest?

A: No, that is not within the scope of this call.

Q: Is liquid aerosol protection in the scope?

A: Not an aerosol focused call, so no. If your solution to preventing liquid protection also happens to act as an aerosol protection layer that could be of interest. There is no requirement to test for or demonstrate aerosol protection in this call and so technical solutions which only provided liquid aerosol protection are out of scope.

13.4 Process questions.

Q: Would DSTL be able to provide test fabrics, or should we price to include our own?

A: Price to include your own test fabrics.

Q: What counts as innovative in this competition? Is it simply a capability that meets the challenge(s) in the competition document?

A: We need to see that research will be undertaken and technical progress made in your proposal. You should move through at least one TRL level.

Please submit an Innovation Outline (EoI) to your DASA Innovation Partner. This will be reviewed by the technical team who will be able to tell you if your idea is in scope.

If there is someone on that line that can already meet Challenge 2, please contact your DASA Innovation Partner and we link you in with the competition team.

Q: Am I able to take attributes from different projects which I’ve been working on, and combine them to make a technical solution for this competition?

A: If you can progress your technology further by combining past projects to create something novel and innovative, then that is absolutely fine.

Q: Being optimistic, would the Challenge 1 Extension be funded at the same level as Challenge 2 (8 months, up to £200K aim TRL5)?

A: That’s the intention, yes. The expectation is for the same work to be carried out so the same funding would be given.

Q: Does the project have to last 8 months or is that a maximum? Can I be shorter?

A: Yes, it can be shorter if you can achieve the deliverable sooner. Please note that if your Challenge 1 project lasts less than 8 months, you’re the subsequent Challenge 2 process will follow the schedule as indicated in the competition document.

Q: If we have several concepts we are thinking of investigating, should we submit multiple bids or one extended bid?

A: We are happy for any one organisation to submit multiple bids, but they must not be dependent on each other. Multiple bids will be scrutinised during assessment as we need to be sure you have the resources to fulfil contracts if all proposals were funded. You can address that in your risk registers.

Q: According to the 7.1 section of the call; do we need to have the engagement with the end-user prior to the submission?

A: All your contacts should be through DASA Help Centre, no need to connect directly with an end user. All information you need is written in the Competition Document, and if you need further clarification, please contact you Innovation Partner.

Q: How many projects will be funded?

A: It is expected to fund 10 proposals for each of the Challenges.

Q: For Challenge 1, would a technology that is derived from a higher TRL technology (TRL 6/7) be eligible?

A: Not unusual for DASA especially with technology transfer into Defence & Security. Ideas might be at a higher commercial TRL with a different use case, but not previously thought of for use in the Defence & Security sector. Developing your technologies for a different use case will see a drop in TRL. You have to show innovation in your proposal.

Q: Can academic institutions lead applications? And are project costs 100% funded, or 70 to 80% similar to IUK projects.

A: Yes, included in T&C we fund 100% full economic costs (FEC). There are no restrictions on universities submitting a bid into DASA competitions, and no requirement for a partner.

Please be aware that this is a contract, not a grant. We can only pay for work completed - with six payment milestones against deliverables which have been checked and approved. Please reach out to your Innovation Partner who will be able to provide you with more information.

Q: When will you send around the list of organisations interested in finding a collaborator?

A: To find potential collaborators you will need to sign up for the Collaboration Survey. This is simply a tool to register your interest, and then every Friday we will circulate details for to people/ organisations who have signed up. The information in the survey is not made publicly available. Please note that it is not a brokering service.

Q: We are new to DASA, will you release a template for the online submission to know what sections of content to prepare for the submission?

A: There is an online generic form which you can look at, although the submission form for this competition has some slight differences. To see what is required it would be best to register and begin a proposal. You do not have to complete the proposal upon registration and are able to save your draft and come back to it to complete at a later date.

A: StratCom & Home Office are the Defence & Security customers funding this call, and do sit within capability sponsor areas, appropriately situated to exploit further into programmes.

There are a number of organisations from Defence and Security who are interested in this call, as potentially international interest as well.

Although we have ruled out suits for this competition there may be further opportunities to take successful technical solutions further.

Q: Will there be a limitation on the commercial use of the developed technology by the company after the project is finished successfully?

A: Any intellectual property (IP) generated under the contract belongs to your organisation under DEFCON705, as detailed in the T&Cs. Make sure your legal team have reviewed and are content with it.

You can contact your Innovation Partner for any clarification points. Any exemptions will need to be reviewed and approved by our Commercial team.

Innovators do not need to access this document. If they are participating in Challenge 2 (section 5.2) they will need to access a specialised accredited Test House for appropriate testing to NATO AEP-72 to be conducted. The Test Houses are fully aware of the requirements and of NATO AEP-72. The testing required is described in section 5.2. In addition to these specialised tests, there are a number of other tests we require in Challenge 2 but these are listed in section 5.2 and described in ISO and BS documents. ↩
Other national standard tests such as AVLAG /LVAP are considered equivalent to passing the NATO test. Please reference in your proposal if you intend using other standards. ↩
PFAS Material Definition

Fluorinated substances that contain at least one aliphatic carbon atom that is both saturated and fully fluorinated (without any H/Cl/Br/I atom attached to it), i.e. any chemical with at least a perfluorinated methyl group (–CF₃) or a perfluorinated methylene group (– CF₂–) in its structure and the simplest substance meeting this definition is tetrafluoromethane (CF₄). ↩

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