Why is Defence and Security important to the region?
Defence and Security (D&S) makes a major contribution to the UK’s economy by creating and sustaining high-skilled jobs; investing in training, innovation and global exports (£5.9b in 2016); as well as through the protection it provides to the nation. D&S operates across five operational domains: Land, Sea, Air, Space and Cyber which means the sector inter-links and underpins large elements of our aviation, marine, nuclear, photonics and digital industries.
The London region is home to some significant Defence and Security assets, houses the headquarters of many Defence Primes and Global technology businesses, is the centre for UK Defence and Security policy, and has world leading capabilities providing intelligence that support the UK Defence Mission and wider UK and global security. There are over 40 Universities and University campuses within London. These have a mix of world leading research led institutions, technology and innovation driven universities alongside specialist institutions with business and industry-focussed provision. The HE sector in London is highly collaborative, strongly connected to our local and regional communities, has global reach, outstanding intellect and cutting edge facilities that supports the knowledge economy through applied research and education.
By bringing together London-based SMEs, Government and public sector organisations, Large businesses and Defence Primes, as well as Universities, we will enable new and novel solutions to defence, security and national resilience challenges, and help to increase employment and prosperity across London.
Why is there a need for a regional Defence and Security Cluster?
London has a large number of digitally focussed SMEs, a small manufacturing base, together with a healthy mix of large and small businesses, which total over 800 with defence and security interests. London has three of the national Catapult Centres and a range of innovation and research hubs. These attributes, coupled with a world leading University sector contained within London, means we should be making a very substantial impact on defence, security and national resilience across the UK from within London. However, whilst Defence and Security are of high strategic and political importance and are synonymous with maintaining the UK’s national security. London does not have an interlinked community of organisations interested in defence, security and resilience who can easily work together to amplify our individual capabilities into stronger more impactful solutions of benefit to the UK and our allies. Our cluster aims address this by:
1. Supporting businesses of all sizes with an interest in D&S to deliver new sector and cross-sector capability.
2. Applying a ‘Team UK’ approach to enable more joined up working between other Regional Defence & Security Clusters, industry, academia and government, providing an efficient and accessible route to industry curation and the region’s D&S value chain.
3. Providing a hub for D&S activity to help realise investment opportunities (incl. government-industry co-investment models); improve competitiveness, skills and remove barriers to entry.
4. Identifying and providing opportunities for non-traditional defence suppliers and sectors to add value and enter the supply chain.
Goals
- Strengthen the region’s partnership between industry, academia and government to leverage D&S investment opportunities and grow sector economic prosperity
- Create conducive conditions for knowledge exchange, collaboration and the innovation process
- Inform and influence government strategies, policies and investment programmes
At a glance, the cluster plans to act as a mechanism for:
- Amplifying existing regional assets, networks and investments, taking them to a wider audience
- Attracting and retaining skilled talent, helping to create high value jobs
- Broadening MOD and wider government outreach in London
- Business support
- Collaboration
- Commercialisation, exploitation and exports
- Creating conditions to link novel component innovation to systems and platforms
- Developing specialism technology areas to operate at the forefront of technical capabilities
- Developing support services for Front Line Command (FLC) and other end users
- Early market engagement and access to end users (e.g. FLC)
- Economic growth
- Innovation
- Investment and trade
- Linkage to Strategic Suppliers and other cross-sector clusters
- Lobbying and representing the sector
- Scaling up regional D&S activity to win new business
- Sharing best practice and excellence
- Skills and workforce development
- Supply chain growth
- Teaming and consortia formation
What does the Cluster mean by Defence and Security?
Defence
The Defence sector can broadly be divided into 5 sub-sectors:
1. Aerospace
2. Maritime
3. Land
4. Space
5. Cyber
Security
The National Security Strategy and Strategic Review (SDSR) 2015 outlines three high level National Security Objectives:
1. Protect our people: at home and overseas; protect our territory, economic security, infrastructure
2. Protect our global influence: reducing the likelihood of threats affecting UK and allies’ interests
3. Promote our prosperity: seizing opportunities, working innovatively and supporting UK industry
