Ploughshare launches the Technology and Growth Alliance to unlock UK dual dual-use inventions that can reshape society

• Ploughshare, the Ministry of Defence’s trusted commercialisation partner, has founded The Technology and Growth Alliance, with industry giants including BAE Systems, Leonardo, QinetiQ and Thales joining as founding members.
• The UK has a long history of creating defence innovations that have protected frontline troops and changed our day to day lives, from the radar to the mass production of penicillin.
• The Technology and Growth Alliance will unite defence firms, academia, investors and ecosystem partners with a shared commitment to unlock the full potential of IP – turning innovation into economic growth.

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10: Ploughshare, the Ministry of Defence’s trusted commercialisation partner, has launched The Technology and Growth Alliance, which will aim to create an ecosystem that accelerates innovation, unlocks new technologies that can improve our day to day lives, and drive long-term economic growth.

The alliance was launched today at the DSEI defence and security conference in London, and will bring together defence firms, academia, investors, accelerators and organisations from across the industry. Founding members – ADS Group, BAE Systems, CBI, Cranfield University, Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), Future Planet Group, Gallos Tech, Helsing, IoT Tribe, Leonardo, NPL, QinetiQ, Thales, The D Group, and UK Defence Investor Network – have pledged to turn cutting-edge IP into commercial success, driving growth and ensuring it spills over into the wider economy.

The defence sector has a rich history of creating innovations that have become integral to our daily lives, from GPS navigation and microwave ovens to the internet and life-saving medical devices like EpiPens, technologies initially designed for military purposes that have seamlessly transitioned to benefit society at large. History has shown that these ideas can be commercialised, but pathways to market are often beset by challenges.

Ploughshare, drawing on two decades of experience turning defence technologies into real-world solutions, will act as the alliance’s convenor – bringing members together to overcome these challenges. The alliance will provide a framework for jointly stewarding and exploiting intellectual property. Its vision is to translate defence R&D into commercial opportunities that strengthen sovereign capability, create new businesses and high-value jobs, boost exports, and ensure public investment delivers long-term economic and societal benefit for the United Kingdom.

The government has invested more than £20billion in defence R&D over the last twenty years, with a significant proportion of that funding going to private industry, academia and research organisations. This funding has helped developed groundbreaking technologies designed to protect frontline troops. Yet many of these innovations have remained confined to military use. This means their potential to save lives, transform industries, and support public services like the NHS has gone untapped.

Ploughshare CEO Hetti Barkworth-Nanton explains: “We are sitting on a goldmine of technology that can transform the world around us, but we’ve traditionally struggled to get these solutions out of defence and into the wider world. The alliance aims to be the catalyst that releases the full potential of defence-born technologies – ensuring innovation spills over into society, boosts the economy, and supports services like the NHS. At present, barely a handful of spin-outs emerge from defence IP each year, but with so much cutting-edge work happening in UK firms, there’s no reason we shouldn’t see 20 to 30 new companies launched annually.

“We’re delighted to have our founding members on board, who will play a vital role in sharing their expertise and shaping the direction of this movement, but we must now call on more private companies, investors, academic institutions and research organisations to join.  If you believe in the power of innovation to transform industries, communities and global markets, we want you with us.”

Quotes from founding members

Professor Andy Bell, Dstl’s Chief Science and Technology Officer, said: “Sustained investment in Defence research has enabled Dstl to continuously develop new concepts and technologies to keep the UK armed forces and public safe from harm.

“Our work provides the foundation stone for exploitation, boosting highly skilled UK jobs and creating export opportunities for UK businesses.

“The Alliance will support the accelerated development of commercial opportunities from technology originally created through defence-related research to be adapted for other uses to maximise the return on investment.”

Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS Group, said: “Ensuring the UK’s international competitiveness in key industries and doubling down on our rich history of innovation, research and development has never been more important. While the defence sector’s value to the economy has increased almost 70% in the last decade, there is always more to be done.

“Across aerospace, defence and security, many companies already develop technologies with dual use potential. Yet, despite this, the political, economic and strategic opportunities associated with these multi-purpose technologies remain largely unfulfilled. Accelerating technology adoption will be pivotal to our ability to deliver innovation, security and prosperity, and I look forward to working with the Alliance to deliver on these goals.”

Rob Merryweather, BAE Systems Technology Director, said: “We’re delighted to work with The Technology and Growth Alliance, where we’ll share our experience of finding novel alternate uses for existing IP. The defence industry is highly innovative and many inventions made in our sector have wider applications.”

Rain Newton-Smith, Chief Executive, CBI said:  “The government has set out a clear, long-term vision for the UK’s defence sector. Enhancing our national security is vital, and the government’s commitment to higher defence spending is a key part of this. At the same time, we must ensure this additional spending supports the UK’s growth mission with lasting impact on our productivity and innovation.

“We can turn spending 5 per cent of our GDP on national security into 5 per cent on good jobs, thriving communities, rising living standards.

“Capitalising on innovation that’s already happening within the defence sector for the benefit of wider society can only happen when we all work together.”

Professor Dame Helen Atkinson DBE FREng, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Cranfield University said: “Cranfield has a strong understanding of the defence sector and a track record in bringing new technologies into commercial application. Our specialist facilities combined with our academic expertise have been proven to help industry partners accelerate through technology readiness levels and bring new ideas to life. We are looking forward to working with all of the new alliance partners to unlock potential innovations in the defence sector.”

Ali Hawks Phd, Defence Investor Network co-founder, said: “The UK DIN is proud to be a founding member of the Technology and Growth Alliance and strongly believes the intersection of technology, academia and capital is what will assure our competitive advantage and economic prosperity.  Defence has long had a history of leading R&D and delivering the innovations we rely on today; we must now re-imagine how we might unlock critical IP from the MOD to connect it with our world-class talent, access to capital and most difficult challenges.  The Technology and Growth Alliance will play this crucial role, and the UK DIN is excited to represent investors in this capacity.”

Robin MacKenzie, CEO of D Group, said: “As an organisation that aims to bring together leaders across government, academia and business, we are delighted to support and be a part of (the alliance). In the current environment, there is nothing more important than bringing together and mobilising the whole eco-system to realise enhanced security and economic growth.”

Alex Leigh, Managing Director and Portfolio Lead for Defence & Security at Future Planet Capital, said: “As active investors in the sector, we back dual-use technologies with the potential to scale globally while strengthening the UK’s security and prosperity. The UK has a world-class track record of scientific and defence innovation, and our focus is on helping those breakthroughs become successful companies that create jobs, build sovereign capability, and deliver long-term economic impact.”

Josh Burch, Cofounder and Managing Partner of GALLOS said: “There’s never been a more important time to be building the systemic resilience of the UK and our allied partners. As the UK’s leading venture studio focused on building world-class security, defence and resilience companies, GALLOS looks forward to working with Ploughshare and its alliance partners to connect and shape this vital ecosystem.”

Dr Tanya Suarez, CEO of IoT Tribe: “We’re excited to collaborate with visionary partners to accelerate innovation and ensure the UK remains a global leader in breakthrough technologies. At IoT Tribe, we connect corporates with the tech leaders of tomorrow to create competitive advantage, while helping innovators validate use cases and scale. Together, we ensure transformative technologies deliver real business value and wider societal impact.”

Professor Simon Harwood, UK Capability Development Direct, Leonardo UK, said: “The defence industry has always, at its core, been about securing the prosperity of the nation, now in conjunction with the Technology and Growth Alliance, Leonardo UK, will seek to accelerate the delivery of benefits to broader consumer markets from the increased investment and technologies originating from defence funded research and development.”

Emma Haynes, Partnerships Director, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), said: “We are delighted to be a founding member of the Technology and Growth Alliance. Supporting innovation and getting discoveries out of the lab and into use for the benefit of society is aligned to NPL’s purpose. There are many examples from NPL today where technology, which has been developed for one application, for example in improving space equipment has been found to be beneficial in medical settings, and we are constantly looking at where are science, engineering and technology expertise can best contribute to future developments of this kind.”

Dr Gordon Barr, Chief Growth Officer, QinetiQ, said: “As a leading creator of intellectual property through our contribution to foundational science and technology in the UK, QinetiQ is delighted to be a founding member of The Technology and Growth Alliance. We are looking forward to unlocking the potential of UK defence knowledge and contributing towards the Alliance’s commitment of turning innovation into economic growth.”

Phil Siviter, CEO, Thales UK, said: “At Thales we know that no single organisation has all the answers. The real breakthroughs come when defence, academia, investors and SMEs work together with urgency and trust. As a founding partner of the Technology and Growth Alliance, we are proud to help turn defence innovation into outcomes that strengthen national resilience, create prosperity across the UK, and deliver technologies that benefit society as a whole.”