What Defence and Security Accelerator does

The Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) is a UK government organisation operating within the Defence & Space sector, established in 2016 and headquartered in Salisbury, United Kingdom. It functions as a publicly funded innovation intermediary structured to accelerate the development of defence and security technologies by connecting the UK Ministry of Defence's requirements and procurement functions with the broader technology supply base — including industry, academia, and startups — and channelling government funding, trials, and end-user feedback toward them.

The organisation operates with a headcount in the 51–100 range, consistent with a focused, centralised programme team rather than a large-scale agency. Its public-facing identity is anchored to a gov.uk organisational page, situating it within the UK government's official digital estate and indicating that its funding flows through departmental budgetary allocations from the MoD rather than commercial revenue. The input material contains no product catalogue, no pricing model, no customer logos, no management team disclosures, and no partnership announcements, so the company's product surface, revenue mechanics, and supplier/customer ecosystem cannot be characterised with specificity from this source.

Because DASA is a government entity, its "business model" is structurally distinct from commercial peers: it disburses funding to (rather than collects revenue from) external innovators, with the MoD acting as the principal beneficiary of the developed capabilities. Engagement is therefore conditional on alignment with UK defence and security priorities. The lack of disclosed awards, patents, or partnership records in the supplied data limits what can be reliably stated about operational outcomes.

Name

Defence and Security Accelerator

Website

https://gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Defence and Security Accelerator is a UK government organisation, established in 2016 and based in Salisbury, that funds and accelerates defence and security technology innovation on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Defense Innovation Funding

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), National Security (928110)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense R&D, Test, Evaluation & Innovation (BPAIAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Defense Acquisition, Procurement & Contracting (BPAIAHAB)

Keywords

• Defense innovation funding
• Security technology grants
• Defense research contracts
• Military innovation challenges
• Defense accelerator programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Salisbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Core offering

DASA identifies, funds, and accelerates innovative technologies and ideas with defense and security applications. It runs themed funding competitions, awards contracts and grants to suppliers (industry, academia, and SMEs), and supports the rapid insertion of novel capabilities into UK defense and security operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Defense and Security Innovation Funding

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves1 record

Direct peers

• Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA): US Department of Defense agency that funds high-risk, high-reward research and accelerates breakthrough technologies for national security. Closely analogous to DASA in mission (challenge-led defence R&D funding), customer (military end-users), and operating model.
• Defense Innovation Unit (DIU): US DOD organisation that accelerates the adoption of commercial technology into military use. Operates a similar bridge between non-traditional innovators and defence customers, making it a direct functional peer of DASA.
• NATO DIANA: NATO's Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic, which funds and accelerates dual-use deep tech across the Alliance. Targets the same innovator pool as DASA and may absorb or compete with UK-focused activity.
• AFWERX: US Air Force innovation arm that runs challenges, prizes, and accelerator programmes to engage non-traditional defence suppliers. Closely comparable to DASA in challenge-based funding and outreach to startups and academia.
• SOFWERX: Public-private partnership under US Special Operations Command that collaborates with industry and academia on emerging defence technologies. Mirrors DASA's public-sector-led, accelerator-style engagement with innovators.
• NavalX: US Navy's innovation cell that connects technologists and problem-holders across the naval enterprise. Comparable to DASA as a service-level defence innovation intermediary.

Regional players

• European Defence Agency (EDA): EU-level intergovernmental agency supporting defence capability development and R&T cooperation. Regional peer to DASA at the supranational level, operating across European member states rather than a single national MOD.

Broad incumbents

• Innovate UK: UK's national innovation agency funding business-led R&D across the economy. Adjacent UK public-sector peer that funds innovation (though commercial rather than defence-focused) and sometimes co-funds DASA-backed projects.
• Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl): UK MOD's science and technology organisation, within which DASA sits. Related rather than directly comparable, but together they form the core of UK defence S&T capability development.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments13 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Defence and Security Accelerator